Product Life Cycle

The product life cycle, also known as the product lifespan, is a concept from business administration that deals with the phases of the life of a product or service. It is often used as a graphical representation to highlight the different phases: Introduction, Growth, Maturity and Decline. Each phase brings its own specific challenges and opportunities.

• In the introduction phase, the company prepares the product's market entry. Since there is initially little market support, high investments in marketing and sales are necessary to gain awareness and acceptance. A pricing strategy is determined, and advertising campaigns are launched to stimulate demand. (Major product innovations are usually completed at this stage; improvements are made continuously as needed based on customer feedback.)
• In the growth phase, demand rises rapidly and approaches its peak towards the end of this phase. The company should monitor and optimize its marketing strategies to remain effective, as more competitors may now emerge. Pricing also remains crucial to profitably expand market share.
• In the maturity phase, the market is almost saturated: the product has reached the majority of potential customers, and it becomes increasingly difficult to attract new buyers. Sales and profits often stagnate. The company must review its business model and cost structure and make adjustments if necessary to remain competitive. This can include efficiency improvements or product policy measures (e.g., variants, service offerings) to create new buying incentives.
• In the decline phase, demand continuously decreases until the product eventually disappears from the market. The company faces the decision to phase out the product or handle remaining demand through discounts and other clearance strategies. If appropriate, niche markets or alternative sales channels can be used to reach remaining customer segments. At the same time, resources should be redirected to new products to secure future revenues.

The product life cycle usually spans multiple cycles and can be used as a tool to predict the success of business projects. The product life cycle is a very useful concept for companies of all sizes, as it can help them identify opportunities and be prepared for challenges. Through proper analysis of the life cycle of a given product, companies can identify which phase elements are the most promising and what measures need to be taken to achieve the maximum possible success. [3]

For a successful and sustainable corporate strategy, it is essential to understand the product life cycle. It describes the development of ideas into new products and services, their promotion, distribution and replacement by new technologies or new competitors.

The term "product life cycle" is often confused with the innovation cycle, although it is different from it. The innovation cycle describes the development of a product or service from the idea to the market launch. In contrast, the product life cycle refers to the entire life of the product or service, beginning at development and ending after the product exits the market.

Comparing innovation and product lifecycles makes it clear that the latter focuses more on process, while the former focuses more on innovation - whether technological or strategic - to create new opportunities to generate revenue. [4]

• The launch phase is usually the most costly phase for companies. During this time, companies have to invest a lot of money in research and development to develop and test their new product. They also have to finance advertising campaigns to introduce the new product and introduce it to the market. Other costs associated with the launch phase are distribution costs and fees for registering the product with the government.
• In the growth phase, the sales figures for the product increase. The costs for research and development gradually decrease, as the product has already been developed; instead, more resources are used for sales in order to reach more customers. In addition, this phase requires intensive marketing activities to increase the company's reputation as a brand on the market.
• In the maturity phase, the growth of the product gradually slows down. The cost savings will be greater than in the growth cycle, and there is more scope for price discounts or other forms of customer experience. Therefore, the company needs to innovate marketing efforts to maintain or increase sales.
• Eventually, every product reaches the decline stage of its life cycle. At this stage, the market has become saturated and consumers have developed a strong preference for other brands or newer versions. To continue to generate sales, the company must develop sales strategies that offer consumers something new - whether it's discounts or technological improvement - as well as use alternative distribution channels to market its products to end consumers.

The product life cycle is an important concept in business administration. It describes the various phases of a product from its creation to its end. More precisely, it describes the development, marketing and sale of the product. Thus, it can be said that the product life cycle forms a kind of framework within which companies can develop their strategies and measures. The product life cycle consists of four phases: Introduction, Growth, Maturity and Acceptance.

One of the main reasons for the shortening of the product life cycle is the increasing competition on the market. More and more companies are producing similar or the same products, which is driving down prices and causing newer models to spread faster than before. Customers also expect companies to produce better and newer products with innovative features. To meet this demand, companies must develop and implement new ideas every day to stay ahead of their competitors.

In addition, technology plays a crucial role in the build-up and tear-down of product cycles. In recent years, technology has advanced rapidly and this has changed the market. New technologies make it easy for companies to develop and implement innovative ideas. This means that companies need to find faster ways to improve their products or launch new models to keep up with the competition. All these factors contribute to the fact that the product life cycle is becoming shorter and shorter.  The trade-off between quality and speed is also an important aspect of shortening the life cycle of products. When a company offers its customers high-quality products and at the same time tries to increase its sales, it must be able to handle its processes as efficiently as possible. Therefore, it must simplify and optimize its process and apply other strategies to save time. By doing this, it can significantly reduce the life cycle of its products.  In order to remain successful, each company must find the right way to take on the challenge of the rapidly changing market and at the same time be able to produce high-quality products.

In order to extend the product life cycle, it is important to develop innovative ideas to enhance the product or service. Innovation is the key to avoiding wear and tear on existing products and increasing their value. Companies should therefore always be looking for new ways to add more value or identify areas for improvement. In addition, companies should always be ready to adapt to the dynamic demands of the market by leveraging innovation and taking effective action.

Another way to extend the life of a product is to use cross-marketing strategies to involve other areas of the company or other companies to promote the product. Cross-marketing strategies not only help companies find customer groups for their product, but also allow them to reach customer groups that were normally unreachable for this type of promotional activity.

Investing in targeted marketing can also increase sales and thus help extend the life cycle of a particular product. Strategic marketing measures can help attract new customer groups or bind existing customer groups more closely to the company. Here, too, innovation plays an important role in developing new approaches to attracting clientele and providing high-quality content.

The product life cycle provides valuable information about the development of a product in the market. The different phases allow us to observe how sales, revenue, and profit of a product change over time. This knowledge enables the company to derive targeted strategies – for example, increasing investments during growth phases or implementing countermeasures (product adjustments, cost reductions) when success starts to flatten – to remain competitive overall. In short, positioning a product within its life cycle helps to assess its past success or failure and make informed decisions to increase profitability in the future.

Our bachelor's and master's degree programs provide you with relevant knowledge and skills you need for a successful career.