The pros and cons of offering pre and post-sale services to the consumer by the brand itself

In the modern market, more often than not, brands across all industries (whether operating in B2B or B2C markets) flaunt, or rather more accurately, market their products as a complete consumer experience. The most common example of this is when companies offer pre and post-sale services to their consumers. This usually varies from customisation experience on the product itself to repairs and replacement of products with limited time warranty models which are usually standardised to one to five years for FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Good) products and up to 10 years for SMCG (Slow Moving Consumer Goods).

So, the question to be asked is whether or not the offer pre and post-sale services that brands offer actually benefiting the end user, i.e., the consumer. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons once.

Pros

• Safety, i.e., there is a sense of assurance for every consumer that the services they are availing iscoming from a reliable source. Since it comes from the brand itself, there is a sense of both security and accountability.

• Value for money, i.e., even though there is no saying how the various services might be priced, there is no two ways about the fact that any consumer will be confident that they’re getting exactly what they are paying for, since it is coming directly from the brand.

• Convergence, i.e., all facilities and services related to the said product is found in a single place.In simple words, since all the services both pre and post-sale are coming directly from the brand, and so the consumers don’t need to look elsewhere to getthe same benefits.

Cons

• Lack of choice, i.e., consumers are not really inclined to explore the maximum extent of the options available to them because of the net of safety and accountability that a brand provides. In this case, consumers might be missing out on the best prices they can get, and perhaps even better quality of services.

• Pricing options, i.e., when a brand is offering its consumers pre and post-sale services, there is no guarantee that the said service is the best option for the consumer from an economic standpoint. All there is, is a seal of the brand, which, more often than not, might actually be the reason consumers are being charged a premium amount.

• Closed ecosystem, i.e., since all the pre-and post-sale services are being provided by the brand itself, the consumer isexistingin a closed ecosystem. The major disadvantage of this is that consumers cannot customise those services and choose from the most optimum services for their product. While this is definitely highly beneficial for the brand, for the consumer, it is keeping them away from options with a very real sense of security.

So finally, are brand pre-and post services actually worth it? They certainly have their advantages, but those exact same benefits create a con for the consumer. But having said that, one must admit that getting pre and post-sales services directly from the brand is definitely the better way to go. Especially as far as long-term investments in the field of agriculture are concerned. Products of heavy machinery such as cranes, rollers and tractors are the primary things to be taken into consideration. Also, there is no exaggeration in the fact that the assurance provided by the safety net of the brand can help farmers from our country in a big way.

So, where does one find it all in one place? Where is this brand that provides farmers of India with such a safe haven? One word, Digitrac. Digitrac is a tractor manufacturer that makes some of the best tractors in India. Also, being a part of the Escorts Ltd. brand, there is an added benefit of brand trust that its consumers share whenever they purchase Digitrac’s products or avail it’s services. Speaking of tractor services, Digitrac offers a multitude of services to its customers, all of which can be availed right from the comfort of their homes. Starting from giving its customers a tractor loan online, Digitrac also ensures that tractor insurance provided is done in the exact same manner, with the exact same level of convenience for the end user.

In the end, it’s all about preference, but with Digitrac, great assurance is just the sweet cherry on top.