From the daily essentials we rely on to the indulgences that elevate our lives, consumer goods are the lifeblood sustaining the global economy.
Entrepreneurs have capitalized on this for decades. As a result, consumers have more choices than ever before when they’re shopping for durable items (like home appliances), nondurable products (like candles), or services (like a haircut).
Understanding the nuances of consumer goods is essential for businesses striving to compete in a market flush with choice. By knowing the type of consumer goods you’re selling and how customers buy them, you can craft better marketing strategies.
In this guide, learn about the types of consumer goods in ecommerce, with tips on how to use these insights to sell more online.
What are consumer goods?
Consumer goods are items that consumers buy for personal use. They’re also called final goods because they’re the end result of various production processes and the final output of the supply chain.
Some examples of consumer goods are clothes, electronics, food items, appliances, and passenger vehicles.
The sale of most consumer goods is regulated by the US Consumer Product Safety Act, a law passed by Congress in 1972 for the purpose of establishing standards for product safety. The act also established the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, which applies these standards. The commission can investigate product hazards, issue recalls from manufacturers, or even ban products that violate the safety act.
Consumer goods vs. capital goods
Consumer goods are final products that are bought and used by consumers for immediate consumption. Capital goods, however, are a subset of products that are sold to other businesses to produce new goods or services. They usually aren’t for immediate consumption. Examples of capital goods include equipment, machinery, and software.
The importance of consumer goods in the 2025 economy
The global consumer goods sector is one of the largest retail markets, with an estimated valuation of $4.54 trillion in 2025. Growth isn’t set to slow down anytime soon: the same report predicts a compounding annual growth rate of 1.47% until 2029.
Major players dominate this space. For example, Unilever, the parent company of consumer goods brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Dove, and TRESemmé, had net sales of around $64.51 billion last year.
Despite legacy brands dominating the space, the consumer goods industry is big enough for smaller businesses to capitalize on. Innovative products are emerging almost daily to give customers more choice and flexibility in what they spend their hard-earned money on.
Types of consumer goods
Consumer goods can be broadly classified into three main categories: durable goods, nondurable goods, and service goods. Here’s how they’re defined:
Durable goods
Durable goods are tangible products that serve customers over a lifespan exceeding three years. These can include household appliances like refrigerators and washing machines, electronic devices such as laptops and smartphones, and vehicles like bicycles and cars.
Durable goods are often the most expensive of consumer goods and are considered long-term assets by their owners.
Nondurable goods
Nondurable goods are also known as consumables, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), and consumer packaged goods (CPG). They sell quickly and are consumed relatively quickly, too.
Examples of nondurable goods include food items, beverages, toiletries, laundry detergent, and household cleaning products. These items are essential for sustaining daily life in a modern economy and are characterized by their frequent replenishment cycles, hence why many nondurable goods have subscription business models.
Nondurable goods can also include digital products such as online courses, templates, and downloadable workbooks. They’re designed to be consumed quickly or used just once.
📖 Read more: Inventory Management: What it is & How it Works
Services
Some services are also considered consumer goods. These are intangible products provided by individuals or businesses to meet consumer needs. Examples of services as a consumer good are haircuts, plumbing work, auto repairs, and some healthcare services.
Classification of consumer goods
Consumer goods can be further categorized into four main types: convenience goods, shopping goods, specialty goods, and unsought goods. It’s important to note that all four of these categories can contain durable goods, nondurable goods, services, or a combination thereof.
Convenience goods
Convenience goods are items consumers purchase frequently and with minimal effort. These products are readily available and often sold through multiple distribution channels to maximize accessibility. Common examples include household staples like bread, milk, and toilet paper, as well as more discretionary purchases like snack foods, alcoholic beverages, and beauty products.
Convenience goods are typically low-cost and serve basic consumer needs, and they may not require extensive marketing when compared with other types of consumer goods.
Customers are less likely to compare different brands of convenience goods before making a purchasing decision; for this reason, marketers tend to prioritize store placement and ease of access when selling convenience goods.
Shopping goods
Shopping goods are items consumers compare and evaluate based on factors such as price, quality, and brand reputation before making a purchase decision. These products often involve more research and consideration, reflecting shoppers’ preferences and priorities.
Examples of shopping products include clothing, electronics, furniture, and appliances, which may vary in terms of durability, style, and functionality.
Shopping goods are consequently purchased less often than convenience goods and tend to be priced at mid-tier points. They represent a significant portion of consumer spending and require targeted marketing efforts to capture consumer interest and make sales.
Specialty goods
Specialty goods are products with unique characteristics that cater to specific consumer preferences or interests. Examples of specialty goods include luxury watches, fine art, designer clothing, special-function vehicles (pick-up trucks, sports cars, etc.), and higher-end electronics.
Specialty goods often command higher prices and target specialized market segments. For this reason, they require tailored marketing strategies and brand positioning to differentiate themselves in smaller, competitive markets to attract discerning customers.
📖 Read more: Luxury Ecommerce Tips To Attract Affluent Customers
Unsought goods
Unsought goods are products consumers may not actively seek out or consider buying until a specific need or problem arises. They’re often one-time purchases listed at higher price points.
Examples of unsought goods include insurance policies, funeral services, and certain healthcare products. They address critical needs or concerns, but they may not be top-of-mind for consumers.
Unsought goods present unique challenges for consumer goods companies seeking to stimulate demand and accelerate innovation through targeted marketing campaigns. These items typically require aggressive, proactive marketing efforts to generate consumer awareness and interest.
Consumer goods market trends
Sustainability and ethical consumption
Consumers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their purchases. This impacts the consumer goods industry, where many products (such as apparel and coffee) have a bad reputation for unethical or unsustainable supply chains.
According to a 2024 PwC study, “Some consumers say they are willing to spend 9.7% more, on average, for sustainably produced or sourced goods, as almost nine-in-ten (85%) report experiencing first-hand the disruptive effects of climate change in their daily lives.”
This shift in consumer behavior is driving ecommerce brands and retailers to innovate by:
- Adopting more sustainable business practices. Popular sustainable business practices include more ethical production processes and transparent supply chains.
- Using sustainable materials. The goal is to produce eco-friendly products with less waste and lower carbon footprints.
- Helping consumers reduce climate change. For example, businesses can offer carbon-neutral shipping to customers with the help of apps like Planet.
“Across all consumer products that has been proven out, I think, in the last five to 10 years, that people really do want to support sustainable brands, want to buy products that are sustainable, and those companies are growing faster than their counterparts across the board,” says Phantila Phataraprasit, founder of Sabai Design, on a an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast.
Omnichannel distribution strategies
Ecommerce has infiltrated the consumer goods market and made it possible for consumers to research, compare, and buy just about anything online. That said, the vast majority of purchase decisions aren’t limited to just one channel. According to McKinsey, 75% of US consumers blend both online and offline channels when they’re buying products.
An omnichannel consumer goods strategy ensures that your products are available to buy wherever the customer shops. This includes an ecommerce website, brick-and-mortar locations, marketplaces, social media, and resellers (e.g., department or grocery stores).
💡Tip: Shopify makes omnichannel commerce easy by unifying your product, order, and customer data into one platform. Sales channel integrations let you sell anywhere your customers are, while you keep things running smoothly from one back end.
Direct-to-consumer model
While selling wholesale to retail partners helps extend your reach to people who haven’t yet heard of your brand, it does have its drawbacks. You don’t own the data that your reseller collects, nor do you maximize profit margins. Each product is sold at a lower cost per unit.
Because of this, many brands are cutting out the middleman and selling direct-to-consumer (DTC) goods. When executed well, this strategy offers:
- Higher profit margins
- Access to customer data
- Complete control over product positioning, pricing, and messaging
“We're prioritizing DTC because it actually puts capital back into our bank accounts faster,” says Michelle Razavi, co-founder of Elavi, on a recent Shopify Masters episode. “It's a fast conversion cycle. It allows us to gather data to re-market and to, and understand our consumer at a much deeper level than we would in a retail channel.”
How to sell different types of consumer goods online
Ecommerce strategies for durable goods
Durable goods have long-term value and therefore higher product prices. This can make selling them a challenge—you’ll need to prove why your product is the best option and why it’s worth the investment.
Ecommerce strategies to sell durable goods include:
- Showcase social proof. Durable goods often require more research and consideration before purchase. Help people feel confident that they’re making the right choice by highlighting social proof such as customer reviews, influencer endorsements, and product certifications throughout each touchpoint.
- Highlight payment options. Payment plans such as buy now, pay later help overcome a common sales objection for durable goods: “Do I have the funds to pay for this?” With Shop Pay Installments, for example, online shoppers can divide larger purchases into smaller interest-free payments. You still receive the total order amount upfront.
- Upsell and cross-sell complementary products. Since durable goods are often part of larger product ecosystems (e.g., furniture sets, home appliances, or electronics), use upselling and cross-selling to increase average order value.
Optimizing sales of consumables and CPG
Consumables are products that are used up quickly and need to be repurchased regularly. This poses a great opportunity to acquire a loyal customer base, particularly if you follow strategies such as:
- Subscription services. Consumables are used and repurchased frequently. Subscriptions offer convenience; instead of remembering to repurchase, shoppers can receive their favorite products automatically when they’re about to run out. This also increases customer retention and loyalty.
- Product bundles. For example, you could bundle your bestselling soda flavors into a larger multipack. You have just one order to fulfill and ship as opposed to multiple smaller orders throughout the month, which can increase profit margins.
- Fast, free shipping. Some 39% of online carts are abandoned due to extra costs being too high. This is particularly problematic for consumable and CPG brands—customers won’t want to pay for shipping each time they place an order. Consider free or expedited shipping for customers who buy in bulk or subscribe to regular shipments.
Who Gives a Crap, for example, sells recycled toilet paper—a convenience good traditionally purchased in grocery outlets—through its online store. Shoppers who buy through the site can lock in discounts on larger bundles. It even has a subscription service to give customers one less thing to remember to buy.
Marketing specialty and unsought goods
Specialty products are unique, high-end, or niche items that appeal to a specific target audience. They tend to have a much longer sales cycle, and therefore require a unique approach to ecommerce marketing:
- Run targeted personalized ads. Retailers that sell specialty products have a much smaller target market. Instead of blanket marketing campaigns that appeal to all, run targeted campaigns on platforms such as Meta or Google. This lets you divert your marketing budget to reach people more likely to buy.
- Prioritize customer support. Buyers of specialty or unsought goods will likely have questions about what they’re about to purchase. Offer live chat (through Shopify Inbox), phone consultations, or concierge services to ease these concerns.
- Create time-sensitive deals. Unsought goods, like life insurance or emergency services, require a sense of urgency. Capitalize on this with time-sensitive offers, special discounts, or limited-time promotions to encourage consumers to act quickly.
💡Tip: Shopify Audiences lets you build custom audience lists using data from millions of Shopify merchants. It’s been proven to cut customer acquisition costs by up to 50% and exclude 40% more of your existing customers, on average.
Consumer goods FAQ
What are examples of consumer goods?
Consumer goods encompass a wide range of products and services, including:
- Durable goods (appliances, cars)
- Nondurable goods (food, toiletries, cleaning products)
- Services (haircuts, landscaping)
- Convenience goods (beverages, makeup, snacks)
- Shopping goods (clothes, electronics)
- Specialty goods (luxury items)
- Unsought goods (life insurance, funeral services)
What are the 4 types of consumer products?
The four categories of consumer products are:
- Convenience goods: Low-cost items that consumers buy frequently with minimal effort (e.g., toothpaste and bottled water).
- Shopping goods: Products that consumers spend time comparing in terms of price, quality, and features (e.g., furniture and appliances).
- Specialty goods: Unique, high-quality products that consumers make special efforts to purchase (e.g., designer watches and luxury clothing).
- Unsought products: Items that customers don’t think about until the need arises (e.g., life insurance and emergency medical equipment).
Are consumer goods the same as FMCG?
Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) is a subcategory of consumer goods that includes low-cost, quickly sold products like snacks, toiletries, and beverages. While all FMCGs are consumer goods, not all consumer goods are FMCGs.
What are the most common consumer goods?
Examples of common consumer goods include food and beverages, clothing, furniture, personal care products, electronics, vehicles, cleaning products, online courses, and insurance.
