Introduction
The product life cycle consists of the following stages: introduction, when a new product is presented; growth, when it reaches a peak of sales; maturity, when sales grow at a slower rate and finally start decreasing; and decline, when a product becomes difficult to sell (Jacobsen 108).
Stages of the life cycle
The following are the examples of the products that are currently on each stage.
An example of the introduction stage is Mercedes-Benz C-class Coupe. It has been released recently and is still on its way to gaining popularity (“Five World Premieres at the IAA 2015” par. 9-11).
Apple iPhone 6s is on the growth stage at the moment, despite the fact that it was launched less than two weeks ago. In fact, Apple has announced that it had sold more than 13 million items three days after the release, which is a record for Apple (Muller and Kirschner par. 1-2). Starting from October 9, this product will be available in 40 countries more (Muller and Kirschner par. 1). Such a rapid transition from the first stage to the second one is no surprise due to the extreme popularity of this brand.
Diet Coke is now on the stage of maturity. A considerable decrease in sales started in 2008 and is still continuing (Sheffield par. 2). Diet Coke is now facing a lot of challenges from other soft drink producers (Sheffield par. 10-11), especially Pepsi Cola (Peterson par. 1).
Samsung Galaxy S4 is at its decline. As an attempt to renew its popularity, the company has made a new version of the product (S4 mini plus) this summer, and the advertisement emphasizes its low price (“Samsung Galaxy S4 mini plus quietly released” par. 1-2).
References
“Five World Premieres at the IAA 2015: Mercedes-Benz Continues on Road to Success.” Automotive World. 2015. Web.
Jacobsen, Marie-Louise. The Art of Retail Buying: An Introduction to Best Practices from the Industry. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Print.
Muller, Trudy, and Alex Kirschner. Apple Announces Record iPhone 6s & iPhone 6s Plus Sales. 2015. Web.
Peterson, Hayley. “Pepsi surpasses Diet Coke in huge soda shift.” Business Insider. 2015. Web.
“Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Plus Quietly Released.” GSMArena. 2015. Web.
Sheffield, Hazel. “What is killing Diet Coke?” Independent. 2015. Web.