What it is & What Are The Stages Involved?

The time between a product’s introduction to the market and its removal from the shelves is referred to as the “product life cycle.” 

Product life cycle management is the process of planning ways to support and maintain a product continuously. Management and marketing professionals use this concept to determine when appropriate to increase advertising, lower prices, expand into new markets, or redesign packaging. Introduction, growth, maturity, and decline are the four stages of a product’s life cycle.

Understanding The Concept Of Product Life Cycle 

This concept is used by managers and marketers to determine when it is time to increase advertising, lower prices, expand into new markets, or redesign packaging. It is natural for the old to be replaced by the new.

The Product Life Cycle refers to the time from when a product is first introduced to the market to when it reaches its decline stage. It is a well-known term, but few people know how to apply it effectively.

As a result, a good product goes through a series of distinct stages. Finally, the strategy keeps the long-term product players by incorporating technology and eliminating flaws.

The Stages Of Product Life Cycle in Marketing

Marketers must understand how their tactics and strategies change depending on the stage of their product. 

The following are the stages involved in the product life cycle:

Stage -1: The Development Phase 

It is the most critical and vulnerable stage of the product’s life cycle. It covers everything from concept to research, product development, lab testing, and final product design. You must evaluate everything related to your product, its consumers, market scope, competitors, and so on at this stage.

You can’t expect any sales at this point, but your marketing can generate some buzz through social media networks, billboards, and other means. Curiosity can be piqued, and consumers can be enticed to participate.

Stage-2: Introduction 

It is the stage in which your product is first introduced to the market. Marketers must concentrate their efforts at this stage on raising product awareness, presenting it to potential buyers, and persuading them to at least consider the product when making a purchase.

At this point, the goal of marketing is to raise enough awareness of the product so that consumers will recognize it.

You were able to identify consumer expectations thanks to the marketing campaign you ran during the previous development stage. You’ve now designed your product to meet people’s expectations. The commercials will explain what this new soap has to offer, the problems it solves, and how it differs from other soaps on the market.

Stage-3: Growth 

During this time, your communications are aimed at your competitor’s market. You want to gain their business and establish yourself as a “preferred” brand. At this point, the marketing campaign should be focused on increasing market share.

The user experience will be used in this marketing campaign to promote the soap. To prove that your product is the best on the market and that those using your competitor’s product should switch to yours, you’ll need to conduct more in-depth consumer and competitor research.

Stage-4: Maturity 

During this time, your communications are aimed at your competitor’s market. You want to gain their business and establish yourself as a “preferred” brand. At this point, the marketing campaign should be focused on increasing market share.

The user experience will be used in this marketing campaign to promote the soap. To prove that your product is the best on the market and that those using your competitor’s product should switch to yours, you’ll need to conduct more in-depth consumer and competitor research.

 Stage 5: Decline 

Sales and profits begin to decline at this point. Because there isn’t much room for marketing, you should concentrate on cutting costs and milking the brand you’ve built.

After a stage, you must decide whether to harvest the product or remove it from the market. If you don’t act quickly, you risk squandering your valuable resources and efforts. You can take advantage of existing loyalty and then choose to discontinue the product later.

Importance Of Understanding The Product Life Cycle

Once you understand the concept of the PLC, the next step is to understand why it is essential for your business.

The product life cycle can be beneficial for businesses in the following ways:

• Optimize marketing investments
• Allow decision making with better support
• Provide more longevity for products
• Offer more control over results
• Give better long term strategic planning
• Qualify sales efforts
• Give more appropriate preparation to face competition
• Offer better organization and process management
• Leading the market becomes a feasible goal

Understanding the product life cycle is critical to successfully managing and growing your company. It can assist you in developing a more detailed business roadmap, making better strategic decisions, and even creating more accurate financial forecasts. 

If you’ve written a business plan, make sure that one of your regular plan reviews includes examining your market position. You’re probably already looking into every aspect of the product life cycle, but it’s well worth confirming your product’s position regularly.

Conclusion 

You can use the product life cycle stages to guide your marketing campaigns, whether you’re developing a brand new product or working with an established brand. Each stage will determine how you inform your audience about the product, position your brand in the marketplace, and decide how to proceed after the decline stage. You can invest in better marketing campaigns with higher ROI if you keep your product’s life cycle in mind.