In August $2003,$ Frito$-$Lay launched its Lay's Stax brand of potato chips. The chip was intended to compete directly for business from fans of Pringles. The curved shape and texture of the chip were virtually the same. The tall, cylinder$-$shaped canister was nearly identical. During the first few months of the product launch, Stax was available for $$0\mathrm{.}69$ in grocery stores. After the initial penetration strategy to attract customers, the common supermarket price rose above $$1.$ Discounting at product launch to encourage trial is a characteristic of which stage of the product life cycle?

Introduction

Growth

Maturity

Decline