As we all know that almost all aspects of marketing are done without any physical touch to the product. However, people rely on a physical touch or advice to help them evaluate and trust the product before making a purchase. Therefore, companies, marketers, or traders develop physical evidence that eventually replaces these physical cues in the service. The main aim of the marketer for this purpose is to design and implement this concrete evidence. If we define physical evidence in simple words, it is the material part of the marketing mix.
If you have gone through the service marketing mix, you will have an idea that physical evidence comes from its most important 7 P’s. Physical evidence is exclusively used for services. Differentiation is the only problem with the services. Physical evidence is used to make a distinction in situations such as to distinguish a premium gym from a normal one.
What Actually is Physical Evidence?
Physical evidence refers to each and everything your customer sees and touches while interacting with your business. It could be a physical environment in which you offer your brand’s product or service, the layout of interior design and structure, your product’s packing, your service’s branding, etc.
The way your staff dress, act, behave, and work could also be categorized as physical evidence. This is the part where you need to consider how your store design, structure, equipment, fixtures, and signage can help you build your brand’s reputation while providing a boost to your sales.
The objective of Physical Evidence in Marketing Mix
The main purpose of the marketing mix is to implement and include the right elements that have the ability to attract the desired customer profile. Thus, the physical evidence in the services is used to attract the right target and segment so that a company can achieve the right position in the market.
Do keep this fact in mind that companies have started to use physical evidence for products as well which was only bound to service a few years back. This is because most of the business and product selling is performed through retail and e-commerce means.
As both of these sectors are somehow services within themselves, retailers and marketers focus on things that can bring the best results in terms of their growth.
Types of Physical Evidence in Marketing Mix
Although there are many categories of physical evidence, peripheral evidence, and essential evidence are the two major types of physical evidence.
Peripheral Evidence
Essential Evidence
Peripheral Evidence
It is the purchase process that only has a little value in the marketing mix. These are additional aspects of the product that contribute to the overall purchasing process. This physical evidence includes the most common and simple things in the business such as cardstocks used for receipt, packaging of the product, etc.
Essential Evidence
Essential evidence includes the aspects that are extremely important to manufacture and execute the products. If we talk about the example of essential evidence, ingredients used in the food, linens, towels, sheets, etc can be classified as essential evidence. Also, it could be the type of product that the rental company offers when leasing out the rentals.
Essential evidence is not necessarily the property of the customer but contributes to the value of a product or service. It’s the most important and valuable evidence that is focused on while designing the physical evidence of the marketing mix.
Components of Physical Evidence
Components or tools that work for physical evidence should be explained properly. This will allow you to get the most out of your hard work. Below are some of the major components that are briefly explained below.
- Physical Environment
- Ambience
- Layout
- Spatial Layout
- Branding
Physical Environment
The physical environment is the place or location where the customer lives or where the product is consumed. This component is considered an integral part of the physical evidence. This component alone can impact the tone, mode, and perception of product value and importance in the customer’s eye.
If a brand needs to create a higher value of their product and develop a good impression of the brand in the market, it is extremely important to pay great attention to the physical environment where the product will be used.
Ambience:
Taking the gym as an example, its interior appearance, look and feel is mainly described as the ambience or environment. For instance, the accessories used in the gym, lighting, music, etc.
Layout:
It is the structure or design of the store. A good layout is one in which customers can easily choose from different options and can easily compare different options. Layout plays an important role in business where there are plenty of options such as furniture stores, clothing stores, etc.
Spatial Layout:
It is a component that truly works in tandem with the physical environment. It is the actual design or how the physical environment is set up. How a retail location moves customers through the store is a clear example of spatial layout. This is a component that affects the way customers use to buy the product and the way they experience your products.
Branding:
Is the final part which includes packaging, branding, corporate communications, and promotions. These factors also have a great impact on the marketing mix because this will urge customers to shop from your store whenever they require such products or services in the future.
Consistency:
Consistency is the essential part of the physical evidence. You want customers to know what they expect when they use your product. Consistency is the thing that allows you to work hard so that you can live up to that expectation.
Consistency helps you to eliminate the risks that a buyer takes while using a new product of your brand. This can offer you the chances that this first purchase from your brand can become a lead to future purchases. When a customer will have trust in you, there are almost zero chances that he will go to another store.