A product is a collection of features, and each feature has alternative options. Understanding features helps determine strategies such as late staging. Some features are tangible, material things about the product: which engine, how much memory, Bluetooth. Other features are abstract or soft, like geographic region or sales channel. Among tangible features, distinctions can be made on the basis of the degree of postponement possible.
Pin-on features can be added to the product at the last minute, after a specific order is received. The classic example is the power cord for a printer. Hewlett-Packard avoided having different printers for different countries by attaching different power cords to a common printer.
Reconfigurable features can be changed after a real customer order is received. There are literally hundreds of different kinds of tractor tires, depending on the work a tractor will be used for. A tractor has to be built with some kind of tire just so it can be driven off the assembly line, and it’s easy to change the tires to suit the customer.
Line features, by contrast, are so basic to the product that they can’t be changed, such as the chassis or transmission for a vehicle or the motherboard for a computer.
Abstract or soft features are really attributes of the order rather than of the product itself. But they may be very valuable in understanding customer demand. The pattern of choices for tangible features may vary considerably by geographic region, which is a soft feature. For example, engine block heaters are popular in North Dakota and convertibles are popular in Florida, but convertibles with engine block heaters are almost non-existent.
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