... companies should be selling their products in many different sizes

[kadioguy]

GUO: Ellen is a partner at Simon-Kucher. They're a consulting firm that helps big, famous brands figure out, like, how much to charge for a bag of chips, and also, the exact right size for a bag of chips. Ellen says, increasingly, the answer is that there is no one right size, that companies should be selling their products in many different sizes.

https://www.npr.org/2024/06/21/nx-s...ack-architecture-to-get-consumers-to-buy-more
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Why is the -ing form used here?

a. Companies should be selling their products in many different sizes.
b. Companies should sell their products in many different sizes. [my version]

What is the difference in meaning between them?

FYI: AI's answer

 

[tedmc]

I think AI has answered the question very well. The progressive form gives a sense of immediacy and expresses an on-going/current trend better than the present form.

 

[Tarheel]

I don't disagree with Ted, but I don't think either one is wrong.

 

[teechar]

Why is the -ing form used here?

It's used because the action of selling is current (happening in the present time frame).

a. Companies should be selling their products in many different sizes.

This is about something happening now.

b. Companies should sell their products in many different sizes. [my version]

This is about something either happening now or in the future.

What is the difference in meaning between them?

Do you see the difference now?