It is essential for firms to predict the success of new products early. Product managers want to know whether and when to enter a market with their product, whether to further invest in their product in an existing market, and whether and when to take a product off the market depending on recent market conditions. Takeoff is widely recognized as the first critical milestone after launch. It is defined as the point of transition from the introduction stage to the growth stage of a product’s life cycle and is characterized by the first large increase in sales. Thus far, only the takeoff of new product categories has been considered. This study introduces the concept of firm-level takeoff as a more precise measure for predicting and benchmarking the success of new products across various country markets.

Authors: Margot Löwenberg, Markus Meierer, René Algesheimer