The product description should be clear and simple, using language that a non-industry person can understand, appreciate, and embrace. It should cover the product features and benefits and, as such, is sometimes referred to as the product features and benefits statement.

The features and benefits statement for a product/service is a marketing statement that combines the unique characteristics of the product/service and describes how the product/service is different from other similar products/services. It also explains how the product/service adds value to the consumers life. For instance, the following is a sample features and benefits statement for Voluntrip:

Voluntrip serves clients seeking to travel to areas of the world where their tourism dollars can help sustain and maintain communities and cultures at riskin both global and domestic regionswith superior, unique, and affordable services.

The features noted in this statement are superior, unique, and affordable services. The benefit that these product features offer to the consumer is travel to areas of the world where clients tourism dollars can help sustain and maintain communities and cultures at risk, both domestically and globally.

WHY THIS MATTERS: A company needs a compelling features and benefits statement to serve as proof for why customers should purchase its product or service over those offered by competing brands. The features and benefits statement is also referred to as the product description.

YOUR TASK: Read A Closer Look on Voluntrips service features and benefits. After identifying and differentiating between the two, create a features and benefits statement for the firm. To help you complete the practice exercises that follow, refer to the sample NetFast statement for a model and consider the guiding questions provided.

A Closer Look: Voluntrip

VoluntripNot Your Typical Travel Company

Currently the Tourism & Travel industry comprises more than 200,000 agents, brokers, and agencies. Voluntrip, however, wants to be a little different. It is a start-up sustainable travel company that serves clients seeking to travel to areas of the world where their tourism dollars can help sustain and maintain communities and cultures at riskin both global and domestic regions. Voluntrip is not alone in this endeavor; travel companies of this ilk already exist, for example, G Adventures, whose mission is to help people and communities thrive through solutions, not handouts.¹ Ari, Luiz, and Sarita, the owners of Voluntrip, want to ensure that their company provides services that are superior, yet affordable, for their unique clientele. They know that in order to drive travelers to the regions they want to help strengthen they need to focus on offering them attractive travel packages. The owners describe their companys products and services on three levels:

Travel Planning Consultant

Personalized Tour Guide Services

Humanitarian Project Travel

Voluntrips travel packages include:

Unique travel itineraries

Family-owned hotel/hostel/homestay accommodations

Travel concierge services (point-to-point)

Local tour guides

Online customer account management

Passport and Customs services

Currency conversion and currency exchange services

Meal packages

Air travel packages

Convenient online booking options

Virtual travel meeting services

Ground transportation options

Convenient payment options

AAA, military, AARP discounts

Extended Customer Service hours (6:00 a.m. to midnight EST, Monday Friday; 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday)

2. PRACTICE: Write a features and benefits statement for Voluntrip.

INSTRUCTIONS: Using the features and benefits that you selected in the previous practice exercise, create a features and benefits statement for Voluntrip.

As you work on your features and benefits statement, consider these guiding questions:

PRODUCT AND SERVICE BENEFITS AND FEATURES

What factual information can be included in your product feature/benefit statement? What unfulfilled needs does the product fill? What are the prominent features of the product? Do the benefits "sell" the product? Can the features of the product be transformed into a benefit?

ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS IN ONE SMALL PARAGRAPH PLASEES