Many years ago when one was a kid, it seemed everything was built to last a lifetime –and so would the salesman say when selling his ware. Looking back at those days, cola bottles (mainly ThumsUp and Limca) were heavier, car bumpers (Amby and Padmini) were so strong one could walk on them and never make a dent. Our grandpa used to take the car to the estate and throw coconuts into the dicky. Imagine doing the same to one of the new-age cars!

Now, in 2010, it seems like everything is built to fail. A crash in a new 2010 automobile at 25 kilometres per hour is equivalent to a house payment or more. Of course, it depends on when you bought your house. We have disposable razors, plastic cola bottles, disposable cameras and a host of other items. When did it suddenly become fine with the public to buy more and more of the same product and failure or breakage is an accepted norm? Many items we get today are made of plastic and do not last the hardship they are subjected to. Look at the lighter iron boxes; they do not have the sturdiness required for the hard task. But, we want things lighter and smoother.

For some products, obsolescence is inevitable. One can understand one might want to buy a product because of certain improvements or additions in it. For example, many junked their good old black and white televisions for the new and improved colour versions. I wonder if even rural areas would have a market for B&W televisions. Computers get obsolete as soon as they are bought. Welcome to the world of technological obsolescence.

Let us look at four forms of obsolescence:

Technological Obsolescence: This could be another term for the computer industry. New improved computer products are hitting the market as rapidly as possible. In fact, technological obsolescence is so common across product and market categories that in every category you will find this problem. Whether it is cars, scooters, watches, milk, shampoos, or even baby food.

Postponed obsolescence: Do you think Bill Gates and the folks at Microsoft know what Windows 2020 looks like? Most people would probably say yes. Do the automakers in Detroit, Germany and Japan know what features will be on the 2020 cars? Again most people would say yes. Why are they looking so far ahead? They know people have developed an appetite for more power, and more speed, and more convenience. They dole it out in piecemeal, always dangling the carrot just out of reach.

Physical obsolescence: Physical obsolescence occurs when the very design of a product determines its lifespan. Car batteries, nylon stockings and light bulbs are perfect examples. Look at the mobile phones. No one wants to have the bulky mobile phones of yesteryears; these have to be lighter, smaller and features-packed. Only in the case of mobile phones you would one people bragging about who has the smallest.

Style obsolescence: This is most common in the fashion industry. Making a perfectly good piece of clothing seems out of date and forcing the customer to replace it with trendy stuff. Fashion has often been criticised because of the waste of buying products that are not really needed. The industry would counter this with, "People want change." In fact, major clothing brands today change designs every five weeks or earlier. Abroad, it is less than four weeks for branded clothing.

Apart from these four forms, in some cases, products are changed or discontinued, in order to justify a higher (more profitable) price. Customers understand that the only constant in the world is change. We are a world that demands better and better ways of doing things. If there were no Henry Ford, there would have been someone else. Sooner or later we would have had the automobile. Sooner or later we would have flown. To have obsolescence due to innovation is one thing. To deliberately design a product to fail is a serious abuse of consumer trust. Planned obsolescence weakens the bond between customer and business and makes the customer more distrusting of business.

The writer is the CEO and MD of CoustomerLab Solutions