The Product Life Cycle is a concept that describes the stages in which a product generates revenue. There are four stages in the product life cycle. The stages are the Introduction, Growth, Maturity and Decline.
The Introduction stage is the used to create an awareness of the product and inform clients of the benefits of purchasing their particular brand. At the introduction stage the product makes its first appearance and it is necessary for customers to be made aware of its arrival, and therefore a range of activities from within the promotion mix variable are used. Companies will often spend heavily on advertising at this stage, hoping that, as awareness increases, sales will grow. (Orin Miller, “The product life cycle and the marketing mix”, Credit Management, March 1, 2001)
The Nintendo 3DS is in the introductory stage of the product life cycle. LG and HTC Smartphones are the handheld competitors of the 3DS system.
The second stage of the product life cycle is Growth. Rapid revenue growth is typical during this stage of the product life cycle. The customers are more aware of the product and its benefits and thus more customers are purchasing the product during this phase. The distribution of the product may be increased at this point in the product life cycle because of the demand. (www.netmba.com/marketing/product/lifecycle) The levels of promotional activity at this stage typically focus on expansion of the market into new segments. The introduction of new sizes and flavors may be used to maintain this level in the product life cycle. www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_80.htm
Chobani greek yogurt is a product that is currently in the growth cycle of the product life cycle. Several brands Fage and Yoplait greek yogurt are competitors in this section.
The maturity stage of the product life cycle is the