Decline Stage of PLC

Stage within the Product Life Cycle which occurs when the market is no longer able to sustain sales levels for a product as sales are decreasing at increasing rates compared to previous periods.

Growth Stage of PLC

Stage within the Product Life Cycle which occurs when a product is widely accepted and often reaches rapid growth characterized by a large percentage sales increase over previous periods.

Lifestyle

A component of the internal influences on consumer buying behavior that represents what a person values out of life by the activities they engage in and the interests they express.

Maturity Stage of PLC

Stage within the Product Life Cycle which occurs when product growth slows with total sales increasing but at decreasing rates compared to previous periods.

Order Taker

A category within personal selling that includes salespeople who primarily assist customers with a purchase in ways that are much less assertive than salespeople who serve as Order Getters and includes sub-categories Clerks (retail and industrial) and Customer Service Personnel.

Demographics

Concerns statistics that describe a population such as age, education level, income, etc., and in marketing is used as a market segmentation variable.

Ethnographic Research

A form of Observational Research where researchers follow customers at work, home and when shopping in order to see how they make decisions, use products and learn other information.

Guarantee

Assurance offered by a marketer that the product will perform up to expectations or the marketer will support the customer’s decision to replace, have the product repaired or accept a return for a refund.

Loss Leaders

A form of promotional price adjustment, primarily used by retailers to increase customer traffic, that intentionally prices select products at or below the cost the retailer pays to purchase the product from suppliers.

Media Planner

Marketing service that aids clients in assessing different media options and providing other promotional assistance.