Much like our own lives, when it comes to the lifespan of a product or service, the transition to end of life can be a tough one. People grow attached to brands and to specific products and services. Humans, by their very nature, resist change. Consumers, by their very nature, really resist change unless there is some clear benefit to them for the change. When a popular product becomes End of Life, there are a few situations that can keep your customers from jumping ship with the product.
Offer a new model, or an upgraded model - If you’re retiring the CoolThing2000 for the new and improved CoolThing2500, most people won’t be upset as long as the new CoolThing did the same thing the old CoolThing did, only better. There are ways this can go very wrong (New Coke, for instance), but as long as the base is the same and you’re making small revisions for marketing sake, end of life can be an advantage.
Steer customers to another, different idea – Let’s say the item is coming to End of Life and you don’t have something to replace it as a direct upgrade. Perhaps there’s something else in your line that they may be interested in? Even if it doesn’t do the same thing or even a similar thing, they may be comfortable with your brand and still want to do business. This can go sideways quickly if not done properly, as people are creatures of habit.
Give a good reason for the end of life – Some products end because they simply don’t sell well. In this case, the consumer can feel some ownership for this problem as their fellow consumers haven’t consumed enough. Other times, it’s for a safety issue or a product defect. This will usually only sit well if your reason accompanies a “but we’re gonna put out a new one soon.”. Other times, the company simply decided to not make it anymore because they are shifting focus. This one is probably most likely to lose customers.
Either way your product becomes end of life, be prepared to lose a lot of customers. Be prepared for the fallout. Know that you’ll have to act quickly to encourage spending on other products, or End of Life could be End of your Business.
