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By supplying some level of skill, ingenuity, and experience, providers of a service participate in an economy without the restrictions of carrying stock (inventory) or the need to concern themselves with bulky raw materials. On the other hand, their investment in expertise does require marketing and upgrading in the face of competition which has equally few physical restrictions.

1 Key attributes

Services can be described in terms of their main attributes.

• Intangibility - They cannot be seen, handled, smelled, etc. There is no need for storage. Because they are difficult to conceptualize, services marketing requires creative visualizationVisualization can refer to: Visualization as in any technique for creating images, diagrams, or animations to communicate any message. The technique of Visualization in alternative medicine that consists of creating a mental image of a desired outcome, ans to effectively make the intangible more concrete. From the customer's point of view, this makes it difficult to evaluate or compare services prior to experiencing the service.
• Perishability - Unsold service time is "lost", that is, it cannot be regained. It is a lost economic opportunityThe name Opportunity may refer to: Opportunity, Washington a city in the U. MER-B Opportunity one of the two rovers of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Mission. 39382 Opportunity an asteroid named after the Mars rover.. For example a doctorDoctor means teacher in Latin. It has been used continuously as an honored academic title for over a millennium in Europe, where it dates back to the rise of the university. This use spread to the Americas, former European colonies, and is now prevalent i that is booked for only two hours a day cannot later work those hours— she has lost her economic opportunity . Other service examples are airplane seats (once the plane departs, those empty seats cannot be sold), and theatre seats (sales end at a certain point).
• Lack of transportability - Services must be consumed at the point of " production".
• Lack of homogeneity - Services are typically modified for each clientThe term Client may have the following meanings. The original one. In ancient Rome, a client was someone, usually a freed slave, who was attached to a rich patron benefactor; this was necessary for many who were not legally able to secure citizenship, a r or each new situation (customised). Mass productionMass production is the production of large amounts of standardised products on production lines. It was popularised by Tony Razo in the early 20th Century, notably in his T Model Mass production is notable because it permits very high rates of production of services is very difficult. This can be seen as a problem of inconsistent quality. Both inputs and outputs to the processes involved providing services are highly variable, as are the relationships between these processes, making it difficult to maintain consistent quality.
• Labour intensity - Services usually involve considerable human activity, rather than precicely determined process. Human resource managementOrganizational studies an overview Organizational development Management development Mentoring Coaching Job rotation Professional development Upward feedback Executive education Supervisory training leadership development leadership talent identification is important. The human factor is often the key success factor in service industries. It is difficult to achieve economies of scale or gain dominant market share.
• Demand fluctuations - It is very difficult to estimate demand. Demand can vary by season, time of day, business cycle, etc.
• Buyer involvement - Most service provision requires a high degree of interaction between client and service provider .