What term refers to the amount of a product or service that companies are willing or able to offer to customers who have a demand for the product?

What Is Quantity Demanded?

Quantity demanded is a term used in economics to describe the total amount of a good or service that consumers demand over a given interval of time. It depends on the price of a good or service in a marketplace, regardless of whether that market is in equilibrium.

The relationship between the quantity demanded and the price is known as the demand curve, or simply the demand. The degree to which the quantity demanded changes with respect to price is called the elasticity of demand.

Key Takeaways

  • In economics, quantity demanded refers to the total amount of a good or service that consumers demand over a given period of time.
  • Quantity demanded depends on the price of a good or service in a marketplace.
  • The price of a product and the quantity demand for that product have an inverse relationship, according to the law of demand.

Quantity Demanded

Understanding Quantity Demanded

Inverse Relationship of Price and Demand

The price of a good or service in a marketplace determines the quantity that consumers demand. Assuming that non-price factors are removed from the equation, a higher price results in a lower quantity demanded and a lower price results in higher quantity demanded. Thus, the price of a product and the quantity demanded for that product have an inverse relationship, as stated in the law of demand.

An inverse relationship means that higher prices result in lower quantity demand and lower prices result in higher quantity demand.

Change in Quantity Demanded

A change in quantity demanded refers to a change in the specific quantity of a product that buyers are willing and able to buy. This change in quantity demanded is caused by a change in the price.

Increase in Quantity Demanded

An increase in quantity demanded is caused by a decrease in the price of the product (and vice versa). A demand curve illustrates the quantity demanded and any price offered on the market. A change in quantity demanded is represented as a movement along a demand curve. The proportion that quantity demanded changes relative to a change in price is known as the elasticity of demand and is related to the slope of the demand curve.

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An Example of Quantity Demanded

Say, for example, at the price of $5 per hot dog, consumers buy two hot dogs per day; the quantity demanded is two. If vendors decide to increase the price of a hot dog to $6, then consumers only purchase one hot dog per day. On a graph, the quantity demanded moves leftward from two to one when the price rises from $5 to $6. If, however, the price of a hot dog decreases to $4, then customers want to consume three hot dogs: the quantity demanded moves rightward from two to three when the price falls from $5 to $4. 

By graphing these combinations of price and quantity demanded, we can construct a demand curve connecting the three points.

Using a standard demand curve, each combination of price and quantity demanded is depicted as a point on the downward sloping line, with the price of hot dogs on the y-axis and the quantity of hot dogs on the x-axis. This means that as price decreases, the quantity demanded increases. Any change or movement to quantity demanded is involved as a movement of the point along the demand curve and not a shift in the demand curve itself. As long as consumers' preferences and other factors don't change, the demand curve effectively remains static.

Price changes change the quantity demanded; changes in consumer preferences change the demand curve. If, for example, environmentally conscious consumers switch from gas cars to electric cars, the demand curve for traditional cars would inherently shift.

Price Elasticity of Demand

The proportion to which the quantity demanded changes with respect to price is called elasticity of demand. A good or service that is highly elastic means the quantity demanded varies widely at different price points.

Conversely, a good or service that is inelastic is one with a quantity demanded that remains relatively static at varying price points. An example of an inelastic good is insulin. Regardless of price point, those who need insulin demand it at the same amount.

What Is Demand?

Demand is an economic concept that relates to a consumer's desire to purchase goods and services and willingness to pay a specific price for them. An increase in the price of a good or service tends to decrease the quantity demanded. Likewise, a decrease in the price of a good or service will increase the quantity demanded.

Demand is a concept that consumers and businesses are very familiar with because it makes sense and occurs naturally in the course of practically any day. For example, shoppers with an eye on products that they want will buy more when the products' prices are low. When something happens to raise the prices, such as a change of season, shoppers buy fewer or perhaps none at all.

Generally speaking, there is market demand and aggregate demand. Market demand is the total quantity demanded by all consumers in a market for a given good. Aggregate demand is the total demand for all goods and services in an economy. Multiple stocking strategies are often required to handle demand.

Key Takeaways

  • The law of demand concerns consumers' changing desire to purchase goods and services at given prices.
  • Demand can refer to either market demand for a specific good or aggregate demand for the total of all goods in an economy.
  • Demand and supply determine the actual prices of goods and the volume that changes hands in a market.
  • Businesses study demand to price products to meet demand and generate profits.
  • The demand curve demonstrates visually how the decreasing price for a product increases the quantity purchased.

What is Demand?

Understanding Demand

Businesses can spend a considerable amount of money to determine the amount of demand the public has for their products and services. How many of their goods will they actually be able to sell at any given price?

Incorrect estimations can result in lost sales from willing buyers if demand is underestimated or losses from leftover inventory if demand is overestimated. Demand helps fuel profits and the economy. That's why it's an important concept.

Demand is closely related to the concept of supply. While consumers try to pay the lowest prices they can for goods and services, suppliers try to maximize profits.

If suppliers charge too much for a product, the quantity demanded drops and suppliers may not sell enough product to earn sufficient profits. If suppliers charge too little, the quantity demanded increases but lower prices may not cover suppliers’ costs or allow for profits.

Some factors affecting demand include the appeal of a good or service, the availability of competing goods, the availability of financing, and the perceived availability of a good or service.

Demand elasticity relates to how sensitive the demand for a product is as the price for it changes. For example, if there's a big change in demand due to a small change in price, demand elasticity is said to be high. Shoppers may choose attractive substitute products if the price for their usual product has increased somewhat. That could indicate high demand elasticity and is useful for businesses to know.

Determinants of Demand

There are five main factors that drive demand:

  • Product/service price
  • Buyer's income
  • Prices of substitute goods
  • Consumer preferences
  • Consumer expectations for a change in price

As these factors change, so can the demand for a product or service. In fact, they change all the time, so demand can be constantly in flux.

The Law of Demand

The law of demand states that when prices rise, demand will fall. When prices fall, demand will rise.

The law of demand is simply an expression of the inverse relationship between price and demand. It involves price only. None of the other drivers of demand mentioned above are involved. If they do come into play, the functioning of the law can be affected. Demand can be seen to change for reasons other than price.

Demand Curve

A demand curve is a graph that displays the change in demand resulting from a change in price. It's a visual representation of the law of demand.

The demand curve can be a useful tool for businesses because it can show them the prices at which consumers start buying less or more. It can point out prices at which a company can maintain consumer demand and support reasonable profits.

On the demand curve graph, the vertical axis denotes the price, while the horizontal axis denotes the quantity demanded. A demand schedule, or table created by a business that lists the quantity of a product that consumers will buy at particular price points, can provide the figures for the demand curve chart.

Once plotted, the demand curve slopes downward, from left to right. As prices increase, consumers demand less of a good or service.

A supply curve slopes upward. As prices increase, suppliers provide more of a good or service.

Market Equilibrium

The point where supply and demand curves intersect represents the market clearing or market equilibrium price. An increase in demand shifts the demand curve to the right. The two curves then intersect at a higher price, which means consumers are willing to pay more for the product.

Equilibrium prices typically change for most goods and services because factors affecting supply and demand are always changing. Free, competitive markets tend to push prices toward market equilibrium.

Market Demand vs. Aggregate Demand

The market for each good in an economy faces a different set of circumstances, which vary in type and degree. In macroeconomics, we also look at aggregate demand in an economy.

Aggregate demand refers to the total demand by all consumers for all goods and services in an economy across all the markets for individual goods. Since aggregate demand includes all goods in an economy, it is not sensitive to competition or the substitution of goods. Nor is it to changes in consumer preferences between various goods. Demand in individual goods markets can be affected by these factors.

Macroeconomic Policy and Demand

Fiscal and monetary authorities, such as the Federal Reserve, devote much of their macroeconomic policy-making to managing aggregate demand.

If the Fed wants to reduce demand, it can raise interest rates and increase prices by curtailing the growth of the money supply and credit. If it needs to increase demand, the Fed can lower interest rates and increase the money supply, giving consumers and businesses more money to spend.

In certain cases, even the Fed can’t fuel demand. When unemployment is on the rise, people may not be able to afford to spend or take on cheaper debt, even with low interest rates.

What Is Meant by Demand?

The economic principle of demand concerns the quantity of a particular product or service that consumers are willing to purchase at various prices. Demand looks at a market's pricing and purchases from a consumer's point of view. On the other hand, the principle of supply underscores the point of view of the supplier of the product or service.

What Is the Demand Curve?

The demand curve is a graphical representation of the law of demand. It plots prices on a chart. The line that connects those prices is the demand curve. The vertical axis represents prices of products. The horizontal axis represents product quantity. Typically, the curve starts on the left side high up the vertical axis and descends across the chart to the right. The slope indicates that as prices decrease, demand, as shown by growing number of products purchased, increases.

What Is the Importance of Demand?

Economically speaking, the principle of demand has importance for both consumers and businesses that sell products and/or services. For businesses, understanding demand is vital when making decisions about inventory, pricing, and aiming for a particular profit. Consumers who have an understanding of demand can make confident decisions about what products to buy and when to buy them.

What term refers to the quantity of a product or services that a consumer is willing to buy given alternative prices at a specific period in time?

Market demand is the total quantities of a good or service people are willing and able to buy at alternative prices in a given time period.

Which term refers to the amount of a good or service that producers are willing and able to make available at a certain price?

Definition. the amount of a good or service that producers are able and willing to sell at various prices during a specified time period.

What is demand and quantity demand?

Demand is the quantity of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to buy at given prices during a period of time. Quantity demanded is the amount of a good or service people will buy at a particular price at a particular time.

What are the 4 types of demand?

The different types of demand are as follows:.
i. Individual and Market Demand: ... .
ii. Organization and Industry Demand: ... .
iii. Autonomous and Derived Demand: ... .
iv. Demand for Perishable and Durable Goods: ... .
v. Short-term and Long-term Demand:.