High-end Encroachment Patterns of New Products

Previous research describes two key ways in which a new product may encroach on an existing market. In high‐end encroachment, the new product first sells to high‐end customers and then diffuses down‐market; in low‐end encroachment, the new product enters at the low end and encroaches up‐market. This paper focuses on high‐end encroachment, which can further be broken down into three subtypes, which are called the immediate, the new‐attribute, and the new‐market forms of high‐end encroachment. This paper makes three key contributions. First, it provides a sound theoretical underpinning for the three distinct subtypes of high‐end encroachment—a linear reservation price curve model (LRPCM) is used to establish this theoretical foundation. Second, this paper delineates and illustrates four different ways the high‐end new‐market diffusion process may progress over time. These four are: (1) the traditional type, where the new product diffuses relatively slowly and methodically over time; (2) the fad scenario, where the new product opens a new market but then fizzles out after a relatively short period of high sales; (3) the rapid diffusion outcome, where the new product opens a new market and then rapidly diffuses down‐market; and (4) the prolonged‐niche type, where the new product purposefully restricts itself to its own niche rather than diffusing down‐market. The third key contribution of this paper is to offer managerial insights into the new‐market high‐end encroachment process by discussing two short case studies; namely, a retrospective look at the introduction of the iPhone, and a prospective look at Tesla's challenges in growing the market for its electric car. With regard to the iPhone, it helps explain why Apple precipitously dropped the price of the iPhone by one third only 68 days after its introduction. With regard to Tesla, it discusses how Tesla must leverage the revenues that stem from its current high‐end pricing power. Tesla must be able to progress down the learning curve fast enough so that it can create a virtuous cycle; a cycle in which cost reductions and technology improvements lead to price reductions and increased sales, which in turn lead to further cost reductions. At the conclusion of the paper, a step‐by‐step approach is offered to aid in determining which type of encroachment should be pursued and in determining how the encroachment pattern will eventually develop. The encroachment framework and the step‐by‐step approach are intend