What is Planned Obsolescence?

planned obsolescence, when the manufacturer consciously short-lived and flimsy products with a short lifespan is a common marketing tactic.

A planned obsolescence strategy is the design or planning of an industrially designed product to become obsolete or useless after a certain period of time and to have a limited lifespan. Planned obsolescence has benefits for the manufacturer.

The consumer, on the other hand, feels obliged to buy the spare part of the product from the same manufacturer or to buy the new model or to buy from the competitor manufacturer in order to ensure the continuous use of the product.



The planning of the end of life of many products has led to the emergence of Planned Obsolescence as an industrial design idea. Planned Obsolescence is the business tactic of planning the obsolescence of a product before the product is released to the market.

Since the last century, one of the business tactics that has been of most interest to producers and consumers has been planned obsolescence. The aim of this tactic is to encourage the consumer to replace their product with a new one. There are various types of obsolescence such as quality obsolescence, obsolescence by reducing repairability, functional obsolescence, aesthetic durability, systematic obsolescence, fashion-related obsolescence, technological obsolescence, and delayed obsolescence.

The Planned Obsolescence strategy is used for many products such as furniture, electronics, clothing and many others. It creates demand in the consumer by making the consumer feel the desire to buy a much better and newer product earlier than necessary. Therefore, the demand for the product or service becomes continuous. When the producer invests in making the product obsolete more quickly, it provokes a reaction from the consumer who has learned about it. This consumer turns to the producer who offers the product in a more durable way. However, this consumer may also be practicing planned obsolescence.


Products such as computers, televisions, white goods, cell phones, etc. are frequently used as a tactic of deliberate obsolescence of desires and functions. Businesses that develop technology first design the product that they will put on the market in a long time and offer it for sale at certain intervals, starting with the one with the lowest features. Thus, with each product offered for sale, the previously offered product becomes obsolete and unable to meet their needs. It is true that we are in a vicious circle.

When manufacturers offer a durable and long-lasting product, satisfaction is high, but then consumption and sales slow down. For this reason, too many products cannot be used for a long time and everything is produced to wear out and deteriorate in a short time. Or they create a sense of lack and incompleteness, which leads to purchases. Pollution of the environment and nature caused by planned obsolescence is also increasing. Products that cannot be recycled or are not easy to recycle make a great accumulation and pollution.