Which of the following would more probably be an order qualifier for a commodity product?

In the context of commodity products, order qualifiers are the basic criteria that a product must meet to be considered by customers. Commodity products are typically undifferentiated goods that are widely available and often indistinguishable from one another, such as grains, metals, or basic chemicals.

Quality stands out as a strong order qualifier for these products because customers expect a minimum standard of quality before they will consider purchasing. In commodity markets, while there may be some variation in quality, buyers are generally only looking for products that meet their basic performance requirements. If a product falls below a certain quality level, it will be excluded from consideration, regardless of other attributes. Thus, ensuring consistent quality is fundamental for a commodity product to be viable in the market.

The other options do not align as directly with the concept of order qualifiers for commodity products. Company image and national preference may influence customer choices for branded or differentiated products, but they are less critical for commodities where differentiation is minimal. Similarly, while manufacturing lead time can be important, it typically does not constitute a primary qualifier in the same way that quality does, as most customers assume prompt availability in this sector.