Designed to capitalize on and extend the appeal of best sellers, flankers currently make up 27 per cent of women’s perfume sales, according to the NPD Group, a market research firm that tracks a number of consumer categories, including fragrances.
In fact, says Karen Grant, a global industry analyst at NPD, flankers have performed stronger than the industry in general, based on 2008 to 2011 figures.
— From The scents of summer: Flowery, fruity and...watered down? at The Globe and Mail.
Well this explains the flanker mania then!
My guess is that flankers “guarantee initial sales” and they cover production costs, so they actually “cost” nothing to make (form a financial standpoint) and then if the flanker is actually good and it sells, then you have a winner!
Yep — minimal development costs, maximum profit potential.