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When a consumer goes to market to purchase a commodity, he or she will purchase the __________ priced commodity, provided the commodities on offer are identical in all other respects.
Lowest..........
Here the catch is that commodities are "identical". Suppose you wanted to purchase a Ford Taurus, then you would obviously purchase it from the dealer who offers you the lowest price. But if you wanted to buy "a car", then things would become complicated, as all "cars" on offer are not similar. For instance, one car may have a larger engine, the other one may be more comfortable to drive, and the third one is more fuel efficient and so on. This adding on of "different" features to the basic product (car in this case), so that consumers will be attracted to purchase that particular product, is called "product differentiation". This is the normal situation we find ourselves in. In such a situation, you purchase the car which suits your particular needs best and is also available at a more economical price. This of course does not apply if you decide to purchase a "status symbol", like a Rolls Royce. In such a case, a higher the price may - up to a point - increase desirability.