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.

Primary Research

An approach to data collection where original data is collected for the marketers own needs or for the needs of a specific client.

Reference Group

Found within the Group Membership component of the external influences on consumer buying behavior, this concept represents people and organizations which a person simultaneously associates or, in some cases, feels the need to disassociate.

Sub-Culture

Found within the Culture component of the external influences on consumer buying behavior, this concept represents smaller groups sharing similar values such as ethnicity, geographic location, and special interests.

Media Planner

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

Research

The process of gathering information to learn about something that is not fully known.

Supply Chain

Consists of organizations engaged in activities, either formally or informally, that provide the necessary links between the beginning of product creation and the delivery of product to customers.

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.