Introduction:
The BCG Matrix and the Product Life Cycle are two important tools that relate to different aspects of a product’s performance:
• The BCG looks at market share and market growth and how they impact on cash usage and generation.
• The PLC looks at sales/revenues over time and levels of profitability.
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix
Businesses must keep their product offerings relevant and profitable to stay in operation. The Boston Consulting Group developed a tool, called the BCG matrix, for categorizing a firm’s products in relation to the overall product life cycle. Product life cycle is based on the observation that products develop, similar to animals, through distinct phases of maturity that differ in amount
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Introduction Stage – This stage of the cycle could be the most expensive for a company launching a new product. The size of the market for the product is small, which means sales are low, although they will be increasing. On the other hand, the cost of things like research and development, consumer testing, and the marketing needed to launch the product can be very high, especially if it’s a competitive sector.
Growth Stage – The growth stage is typically characterized by a strong growth in sales and profits, and because the company can start to benefit from economies of scale in production, the profit margins, as well as the overall amount of profit, will increase. This makes it possible for businesses to invest more money in the promotional activity to maximize the potential of this growth stage.
Maturity Stage – During the maturity stage, the product is established and the aim for the manufacturer is now to maintain the market share they have built up. This is probably the most competitive time for most products and businesses need to invest wisely in any marketing they undertake. They also need to consider any product modifications or improvements to the production process which might give them a competitive advantage.
Decline Stage –
The second stage is market/commodity this needs to be taken place after the buyer has got the buyer needs to a high specification to ensure that at this stage the right product is chosen. At this stage the procurement department need to research all options available within the market. By getting an estimate of what is on the current market, it enables the buyer to pick out potential suppliers also familiarising the buyer with the competition in the market. This is also the stage where the procurement department would be able to look into conducting an analysis on how they are going to achieve the product i.e. make or purchase it/ utilize the service. By conducting market research it gives stakeholders a clear picture of the market.
In the product life cycle, All-round is found within the maturity stage. Here, sales increase at first but at a slower rate as the market introduces its competitors and increases competition. Sales and profit tend to decline towards the end of the maturity stage. In one strategy, it is important to maintain customer loyalty and satisfaction in order to maintain profitability within this stage. For example, promotional allowances and sales force relationships are essential in having this accomplished. Another strategy is reformulation of the product. All-round has not been reformulated but improvements on a routine basis to the product can help increase market growth.
This stage entails a business’s product to begin to drop in sales, reduce in publicity and popularity, it begins to lose its appeal and competition becomes stiffer and bigger, therefore fewer units are sold.
Which of the following represent marketing capabilities at the growth stage of industry evolution? A. Skills in aggressively promoting products to new markets and holding existing markets and pricing flexibility B. Ability to establish brand recognition, find niche, reduce price, solidity strong distribution relations and develop new channels C. Cost effective means of efficient access to selected channels and
The key for the marketer is to determine which stage is the most critical for his/her product.
The first stage is problem recognition. This is where the consumer becomes aware that they need or want something. For example, say that the consumer is watching television and a commercial for new tennis shoes comes on, they now remember that they are in need of new shoes due to the fact their old ones are worn out. The second stage is information search. This stage is when the consumer thinks back to previous shoes that they have purchased, to get an idea of what they want their new shoes to provide for them such as comfort or style. The consumer also asks friends and family members what they prefer so the consumer can compare it to their preferences. Also, if the consumer wants to go into further research they can go to different stores and compare products and prices. The third stage is evaluation of alternatives. In this stage the consumer may decide they want sandals or dress shoes instead of tennis shoes. The fourth stage is purchase decision. This stage lets the consumer decide where they want to purchase their product and how they are going to pay for it, whether it is with cash, check, or credit card. The fifth stage is the official purchase and the sixth stage is the post purchase evaluation. The sixth stage is when the consumer tests the purchased product to decide if they are satisfied with the outcome. Although there are six stages of the consumer buying process that doesn’t necessarily mean
The main purpose of this stage is to persuade customers to buy the product and retain the customers throughout the product life cycle. The growth stage is typically when competition develops. Competition can erode the company 's market share. Marketing efforts in the growth stage tend to focus on product differentiation and expanded distribution (Kerin, Berkowitz, Hartley & Rudelius, 2006).
We at ALMS Consulting Co. have been hired to analyze the way product lines and product managers are being evaluated at the Thomas J. Lipton, Incorporated (“Lipton” or the “Company”) entity. We will review the performance metrics utilized at the corporate level of Lipton, explain the current methodology utilized to evaluate the individual product lines, and then detail the benefits and potential downfalls of the methodology proposed by Don Logan. Finally, we will provide our own recommendations and opinions as to how
One tool that can help an organization to understand its competitive positioning is the BCG Matrix. This matrix is based on the product life cycle theory and is typically used to help organizations make decisions about what products or services should be given priority over scarce resources (VBM, 2012). In analyzing Jackson's portfolio it is important to bear in mind that not all services are going to be in any one category. With a hospital this large and diversified, there will be things in which it is especially strong and things in which it is especially
* Maturity Stage-the product is well established and the organization seeks to maintain market share.
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix is a four celled matrix (a 2 * 2 matrix) developed by BCG, USA in 1970, to help corporations with analyzing their business units or product lines. This help the company allocate resources and is used as an analytical tool in brand marketing, product
However, marketers should not become complacent and they may seek to inject new life into the brand to prolong the growth stage and put off the onset of maturity. A mature product may need a facelift, and marketers must decide whether to support a declining brand or let it die a natural death.
4. Development: The development stage is where the company 's creates specifications of the product, the design, and prototypes. It is also in this stage that the company considers manufacturing constraints.
Stages of business growth theories see the development of an organization as a process with several stages and try to understand the features of different stages and the accompanying problems. All the models try to solve the following three big questions: How to mark the stages of business growth? How many stages the business experiences in its development? What are
The BCG model is based on the product life cycle theory which can be used to determine which one of the product should be given the priority in the product portfolio of a business unit. It is usually based on the observations towards the company’s business units that it can be classified into four categories based on combinations of market growth and market share relative to the largest competitors that brings the name of “growth-share”. As to make sure that the long-term value creation is made, the company should have a specification of the products which contains both high-growth products in need of cash inputs and low-growth products that generate a lot of cash.