Ways to Increase Perceived Quality

The difference between what is considered a high-quality product or service and what actually is one can be wide depending on other factors that help improve perceived quality. For example, marketing and branding have much impact on a target audience's perception and should be used in conjunction with the goals of cutting costs and making profits so a business can make the most of a positive reputation.

To increase perceived quality of a product or service, create a brand name for it that is based on market research of your target market and what this audience sees as beneficial. Brand names, logos and slogans -- such as those appearing directly on products and signs that promote them -- also offer a consistency to the viewing public that leads to an appearance of reliability and thus higher quality. If everyone knows about the product, with frequent and consistent messages, then it must be good, or so it appears. Additionally, perceived quality affects financial performance, according to the Branding Strategy Insider, so presenting what your business offers in an effective brand form can help drive sales.

Overhauling a product or service to make actual improvements or to institute a unique characteristic to make it stand out from the competition is an essential way to increase perceived quality. Without some actual claim to quality, as valued within your customer base and arrived at through market research, marketing and branding alone won't ultimately improve perceived quality. Transform physical attributes of a product, such as using healthier ingredients in a food product, to show that quality has increased.

Offering an assortment of products or services can give a company the appearance of abundance and having many resources, which implies success and increased quality. However, quality control measures should remain in place so that focus on quality doesn't get lost due to overemphasizing quantity. Again, offering variety will only benefit business if that selection is valuable in some way to the consumer. Having much to choose from causes a consumer to get more excited and engaged in analyzing and comparing his choices, leading to a perception that the one he ultimately chooses is best.

Good service leaves a lasting impression on customers and can make them feel more loyal to your product or brand just because they feel taken care of. If the quality of what you offer is just average, presenting it with passion, creativity or caring can improve its perceived quality as compared to the competition. For example, a coffee shop's lattes might be no better in quality than the next shop's selections, but delivering each latte personally to a customer at her table or putting an artful design in the foam of the latte could make the consumer conclude that it's the best latte she's ever had.