Managing customer value means striving to improve the portfolio of attributes, or features, that make up a product
People like the idea that the "customer value" of a product should be managed to create shareholder value. But just what is customer value and how is it linked to shareholder value? Over the years customer value has had various meanings. These days, however, most marketing-oriented managers take it to be another term for the benefits that customers think they can get from the portfolio of attributes, or features, that make up the core of a product, whether it is a good or a service. So by this definition managing for customer value means striving to improve this portfolio by increasing the performance level of one or more existing attributes of the product, adding one or more new attributes, or both.