Companies used to advertise products. Now they « drop » them.

Once upon a time, not too long ago, most companies with major new products would announce them, maybe with a press conference, and maybe a big ad campaign.

Nowadays, new products, not only from chic fashion brands, but also from fast food chains and mattress manufacturers, are « discontinued ». And what it means, and why it’s become ubiquitous, says a lot about how the paired technologies of social media and e-commerce have changed the way people shop, especially for Gen Z and Millennials. , for whom declines are almost inevitable.