Unformatted text preview: 27/02/2021 Reading: Stages of the Product Life Cycle | Principles of Marketing Principles of Marketing
Module 10: Product Marketing Reading: Stages of the Product Life Cycle … 1/6 27/02/2021 Reading: Stages of the Product Life Cycle | Principles of Marketing A company has to be good at both developing new products and managing them in the face of changing tastes, technologies, and competition. Products generally go through a life cycle with predictable sales and
pro ts. Marketers use the product life cycle to follow this progression
and identify strategies to in uence it. The product life cycle (PLC)
starts with the product’s development and introduction, then moves toward withdrawal or eventual demise. This progression is shown in the
graph, below. The ve stages of the PLC are:
. Product development
. Market introduction
. Growth
. Maturity
. Decline
The table below shows common characteristics of each stage. … 2/6 27/02/2021 Reading: Stages of the Product Life Cycle | Principles of Marketing Common Characteristics . investment is made
0. Product
development stage . sales have not begun
. new product ideas are generated,
operationalized, and tested
. costs are very high
. slow sales volumes to start 1. Market
introduction stage . little or no competition
. demand has to be created
. customers have to be prompted to try the
product
. makes little money at this stage
. costs reduced due to economies of scale
. sales volume increases signi cantly
. pro tability begins to rise 2. Growth stage . public awareness increases
. competition begins to increase with a few
new players in establishing market
. increased competition leads to price
decreases
. costs are lowered as a result of
increasing production volumes and
experience curve e ects
. sales volume peaks and market
saturation is reached 3. Maturity stage . new competitors enter the market
. prices tend to drop due to the
proliferation of competing products
. brand di erentiation and feature
diversi cation is emphasized to maintain
or increase market share
. pro ts decline … 3/6 27/02/2021 Reading: Stages of the Product Life Cycle | Principles of Marketing . costs increase due to some loss of
economies of scale
. sales volume declines
4. Decline stage . prices and pro tability diminish
. pro t becomes more a challenge of
production/distribution e ciency than
increased sales Using the Product Life Cycle
The product life cycle can be a useful tool in planning for the life of the
product, but it has a number of limitations.
Not all products follow a smooth and predictable growth path. Some
products are tied to speci c business cycles or have seasonal factors
that impact growth. For example, enrollment in higher education tracks
closely with economic trends. When there is an economic downturn,
more people lose jobs and enroll in college to improve their job
prospects. When the economy improves and more people are fully employed, college enrollments drop. This does not necessarily mean that
education is in decline, only that it is in a down cycle.
Furthermore, evidence suggests that the PLC framework holds true for
industry segments but not necessarily for individual brands or projects,
which are likely to experience greater variability.[1]
Of course, changes in other elements of the marketing mix can also affect the performance of the product during its life cycle. Change in the
competitive situation during each of these stages may have a much
greater impact on the marketing approach than the PLC itself. An e ective promotional program or a dramatic lowering of price may improve
the sales picture in the decline period, at least temporarily. Usually the
improvements brought about by non-product tactics are relatively shortlived, and basic alterations to product o erings provide longer bene ts.
Whether one accepts the S-shaped curve as a valid sales pattern or as a
pattern that holds only for some products (but not for others), the … 4/6 27/02/2021 Reading: Stages of the Product Life Cycle | Principles of Marketing PLC concept can still be very useful. It o ers a framework for dealing systematically with product marketing issues and activities. The marketer
needs to be aware of the generalizations that apply to a given product as
it moves through the various stages. . Mullor-Sebastian, Alicia. “The Product Life Cycle Theory: Empirical
Evidence.” Journal of International Business Studies 14.3 (1983):
95–105. ↵ … 5/6 27/02/2021 Reading: Stages of the Product Life Cycle | Principles of Marketing Previous Next … 6/6 ...
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