Which of the following scenarios illustrates an order winner?
A. ?Ken had always been fascinated by shiny objects, so he plucked the chrome-plated thermos from the shelf and raced to the nearest checkout line.
B. ?As part of her initial search, Janice screened mutual funds based on a five-year return of twenty percent and the manager tenure of at least ten years. She planned to study the prospectus for each of those funds before investing her nest egg.
C. ?A company specifies that they will purchase materials only from suppliers that have achieved a specific certification.
D. ?A safety conscious customer considers only vehicles that have side air bags and anti-lock brakes.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is:
A. Ken had always been fascinated by shiny objects, so he plucked the chrome-plated thermos from the shelf and raced to the nearest checkout line.
Explanation:
An order winner is a product characteristic or feature that directly influences a customer’s purchase decision. It differentiates a product from competitors and is the key reason why a customer selects a specific product. Unlike order qualifiers, which are minimum requirements that a product must meet to be considered, an order winner is the decisive factor that makes a customer choose one product over another.
In option A, Ken’s decision to purchase the thermos was influenced by its chrome-plated design. The shiny appearance of the thermos acted as an order winner because it appealed to his personal preferences and motivated an immediate purchase. This suggests that the aesthetic design of the thermos played a crucial role in differentiating it from other options on the shelf.
On the other hand:
- Option B describes a screening process for investments, which is an example of an order qualifier. Janice is using certain criteria to filter options before making a decision.
- Option C is an example of an order qualifier as well. The certification is a basic requirement that suppliers must meet to be considered, but it does not necessarily differentiate one supplier from another.
- Option D is another example of an order qualifier, as safety features are being used as a minimum requirement before further considering vehicles.
Thus, only option A represents an order winner, as it demonstrates how a specific feature (shiny appearance) directly led to a purchase decis