Product Knowledge
This domain tests whether you can describe a product accurately, read its label, compare alternatives, and recommend without misleading the customer.
Classification and identification
Convenience goods are bought often with little effort; shopping goods are compared on price and features; specialty goods are sought deliberately. Each item in the system is a SKU, identified at the till by an EAN-13 barcode (13 digits) and classified for tax by an HSN code.
Mandatory label declarations
Legal Metrology requires the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or importer, the common or generic name, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, consumer care details and the maximum retail price, which is inclusive of all taxes. Food packs must also show the FSSAI licence number, the green or brown vegetarian/non-vegetarian mark, nutritional information and best-before or expiry date. Apparel must show fibre content and a care label.
Comparing and recommending
Compare on specification, warranty type, shelf life and storage condition, not price alone.
Worked example
A hostel student without a refrigerator compares two 1 litre juice packs. Pack A is ambient-stable until its best-before date; pack B says refrigerate after opening and use within 7 days. Reasoning: the deciding fact is storage, not price - recommend A, and state when it must be consumed after opening.
Traps that cost marks
Quoting MRP as a pre-tax figure; swapping best-before (quality date) with expiry (safety date); claiming a product cures disease, which is prohibited; guessing a specification instead of reading the label.
Key points
- SKU identifies an item; EAN-13 barcode is scanned at the till
- MRP is inclusive of all taxes
- Food labels: FSSAI number, veg/non-veg mark, best before
- Compare on specs, warranty, shelf life, storage
- Never make health claims