How does the PLC Play a Role in my Life?

 

The Product Life Cycle(PLC) talks about the various stages that a product goes through in its lifetime. The four stages of a PLC are:

1.      Introduction-Here, a new product is introduced in the market.

2.      Growth-In this stage, the product sees an increase in its sales and profits

3.      Maturity-The product is established and it works to maintain its hold

4.      Decline-Here, the market for a product will start to shrink

While coming to the various stages of a PLC, I will be explaining each stage with the help of products in my life.

As I said before, the first stage is the introduction stage. The two products that I am going to take here are Medimix and Sensodyne. Although both the products are extremely well-established, I only started using them recently. Previously, I have used soaps such as Dove and Santoor. Medimix is just like any other soap. Since it's in the introduction stage, I still don’t know its benefits and the level of liking I have towards it. The next product is Sensodyne. Even though I had used CloseUp all this while, I recently shifted to Sensodyne after hearing about its ability to work as a ‘medical toothpaste.’ Having sensitive teeth, I have always been on the lookout for a toothpaste that would help in reducing my pain. After having used Sensodyne for just a week, I can see considerable changes as far as the pain is concerned. I don’t know if I will go back to using CloseUp, but Sensodyne seems to be doing good, as of now.

The second stage is the growth stage. For me, the two products that are in this stage are Rorito Flymax and Everest’s Pav Bhaji Masala. Ever since I remember, I have used the Teen Gel to write. But, after Covid-19, there was a shortage of almost everything. Haven't you heard that desperate times call for desperate measures? So, I started using Rorito’s Flymax Gel. But, to my surprise, this pen turned out to be good! It was more smooth and fast than the pens I have used earlier. I know for a fact that I will prefer this pen more than the other one now. The next product was Everest’s Pav Bhaji Masala. Being a big fan of Pav Bhaji, I have always searched for the right Pav Bhaji Masala. With the discovery of Everest’s Pav Bhaji Masala, I realized that my Pav Bhaji becomes much spicier with the use of this masala. When this gets over, I’ll buy another packet that’s for sure. These are two products in my life that are in the growth stage.

Coming to the stage of maturity, the two products for me in stage would be Adidas and Body Shop. The first product that I brought from Adidas was a slipper. Soon after I bought it, I realized that there was no turning back. Although I was as open to trying new brands and exploring other products, nothing ever clicked for me until Adidas came along. After the slipper, I bought a t-shirt, a cap, and even a bag. There is no limit to the number of slippers that I have bought from Adidas. No matter the number of brands and products that come into the industry, no matter their price and their quality, Adidas will be #1 for me. Being a sister of an aspiring football player, I always tell him to buy a boot from Adidas, whenever the need arises. The second product is the Body Shop. Introduced to the brand during my teenage years, I have never since been able to let go of it. Be it their skincare or haircare range, it always seems to do the trick for me. After having used this brand, I have used several other brands like Bath and Body Works, Sephora, etc. But nothing matched the wonders Body Shop did for me. My association with the brand has reached a point that I no longer need to test any other brands. I can blindly believe this brand for my skincare and haircare.

The last stage of the PLC is the decline stage. The two products have chosen for this stage are Fastrack and Parachute. Inevitable to my existence at a point in time, both of these are products that I don’t use anymore. Fastrack used to be a brand I trusted my watch at. I own around 5-6 watches by the brand. But after discovering many other brands, the interest for Fastrack has declined. I no longer am interested in buying watches from this brand. My interests have begun to sway from massy to classy. I no longer seem to enjoy the quirky and fun watches from this brand. I know that this brand is going through a stage of decline in my life. Parachute is a necessity in every Malayali household. A brand of coconut oil that was a staple in my life, I don’t use it now. I have switched to other oils like olive oil and almond oil as it is better for my hair. I rarely use oil, but when I do, I never use Parachute nowadays. Parachute has gone through all the 4 stages and finally ended up at the decline stage.

Through this article, I hope you have understood the various stages of the PLC and how it can be applied to the everyday life of a common person.