Product life cycle has four phases 1. Introduction 2. Growth 3. Maturity 4. Decline. The markets where Coke is a dominant player are United States of America, Europe and Asia, Africa. There is a vast difference in terms of above given phases for example, in U.S.A & Europe it has reached maturity stage where it can’t expand its market more but if we consider Asia, it is still in the growth phase. Coca-Cola is currently going through the maturity stage in Western countires. This maturity stage lasts longer than all other stages. Management has to pay special attention to products during this stage of the product life-cycle. During the maturity stage, products usually go through a slowdown in sales growth. According to CocaCola's 2001 annual report, sales have increased by 1.02% compared to last year. This percentage has no comparison to the high level of growth Coca-Cola enjoyed during 31
32. its growth stage. To add a little variation Coca-Cola took the Coca-Cola Classic and added variations to it, including Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke and Diet Coke. Also Coca-Cola went from 6-oz. glass bottles to 8-oz. cans to plastic liter bottles, all helping increase consumption.