Consumer Co-Creation: An Opportunity to Humanise the New Product Development Process

Abstract

Based on findings from four in-depth case studies within global brand manufacturers in the fast moving consumer goods (fmcg) industry, this paper develops a framework for understanding the organisational processes that support consumer co-creation within new product development (NPD). A new perspective, that of co-creation, in which consumers are ‘active’ participants in the design and development of new products, is challenging the traditional model of NPD. Co-creation provides an opportunity for market researchers to develop a people-centric approach to research, thereby humanising the NPD process. Key to co-creation practices are: a culture supporting innovation and co-creation; a strategy for consumer selection; a focus on qualitative research methods; and training in business creativity and relationship-building skills.