Read the product life cycle and extend a product
Interpret introduction, growth, maturity and decline, then assess an extension strategy.
Exam scope and assessment notes
Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Business Studies 0986, 2026 syllabus, Version 2. This is the separate 9–1 legacy route; 0774 replaces it for first assessment June 2027. Candidates are not assessed on constructing income statements or statements of financial position, nor on price-elasticity or exchange-rate calculations. Simple cash-flow forecast construction is assessed. Written practice is self-checked, not an official Cambridge grade; timed-paper evidence and human subject-teacher review remain outstanding.
Before you begin
- No previous marketing study is assumed. Identify the customer group, the business objective and the evidence in each situation before choosing a response.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which stage follows growth in the syllabus product life cycle?
What you will learn
- Identify product life-cycle stages
- Interpret a simple life-cycle pattern
- Compare extension strategies
Products can move through stages
The syllabus stages are introduction, growth, maturity and decline. Sales are usually low at introduction, rise during growth, level or grow more slowly at maturity, and fall during decline in a simplified life-cycle model.
A life-cycle diagram is a model, not a guaranteed timetable. Products may skip, repeat or remain in a stage depending on customers and competitors.
Try a suitable extension
Extension strategies can include entering new markets, finding new uses, adapting the product or packaging, and increasing advertising or sales promotion.
An extension may attract new customers or increase use, but it costs resources and may not reverse falling demand. Recommend it using the product's current stage, customer evidence and likely cost.
Pause and explain
Which is a syllabus extension strategy?
Worked example
A product's sales rise quickly and competitors begin to enter. Which life-cycle stage is it likely in, and what evidence could support an extension decision?
Show the worked solution
- Rapid sales growth is consistent with the growth stage.
- Check repeat purchase, competitor activity and customer feedback.
- An extension should respond to the evidence, not the stage label alone.
Answer The product is likely in the growth stage. Before choosing an extension strategy, the business should check customer feedback, repeat purchases and competitor activity; the stage alone does not determine the right strategy.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
A reusable lunch container has stable sales, frequent competitors and little growth. Identify its likely stage and suggest one extension strategy with a risk.
Give me a hint
Stable sales are consistent with maturity; choose an action that matches customer evidence.
Compare my reasoning
- Maturity commonly has stable or slower-growing sales.
- A new size or use may attract a customer group.
- Changes cost money and may not increase demand.
The product may be at maturity. The business could adapt its size or promote a new use, but it should test whether customers value the change because development and promotion costs may exceed extra sales.
Look for these in your work
- Stage identified
- Strategy tied to product
- Risk included
Sales of a household cleaner are falling. The firm proposes more advertising. Name two other extension strategies it could compare and what evidence matters.
Give me a hint
Decline can have several causes; test whether product relevance or market reach changed.
Compare my reasoning
- The firm could adapt packaging or formula, subject to product requirements.
- It could identify a new market or new use.
- Check why existing buyers stopped purchasing.
It could test a product or packaging adaptation and explore a new market or use. It should find out whether sales are falling due to changing needs, product performance, price or stronger rivals before choosing; advertising alone may not solve the cause.
Look for these in your work
- Two strategies identified
- Cause research requested
- Advertising limitation noted
A product's life-cycle chart shows a sharp decline after a competitor enters. Explain one limitation of the chart and a relevant response.
Give me a hint
The chart shows a sales pattern but not the cause by itself.
Compare my reasoning
- A decline does not reveal why customers switched.
- Research can examine price, features or availability.
- The business might adapt or reposition only if evidence supports it.
The chart records falling sales but does not prove the competitor caused the whole decline. Research should compare customer needs and rival offers; the business can adapt or reposition if that evidence supports the cost of doing so.
Look for these in your work
- Chart interpretation bounded
- Cause investigated
- Conditional action recommended
Common mistakes
- Treating a life-cycle model as a fixed forecast
- Using a promotion to solve a product-quality problem
- Assuming every extension strategy increases sales
What can you explain now?
Which stage follows growth in the syllabus product life cycle?
Compare with the explanation
Maturity
The sequence is introduction, growth, maturity, decline.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
What are the four product life-cycle stages, and why is the model not a fixed forecast?
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.