Product Depth, Breadth and the Timing of New Product Introductions in the Mutual Fund Industry

Abstract

We test the relationship between product depth, breadth and the timing of new product introductions using a sample comprised of twenty-one mutual fund investment categories. We find that product depth and breadth have opposing effects on timing decisions. We also find that slack moderates the relationship between the product depth, breadth and the timing of new product introductions. Our arguments link the product proliferation, decision timing and slack search literatures.