Customer Involvement. A Systematic Literature Review of the Definition, Measurement, and Innovation Outcomes

Abstract

This study provides a systematic literature review of empirical, survey types of studies published in top-tier English academic journals about the impact of customer involvement on innovation outcomes. The results distinguish customer involvement from related concepts, outline the extant definitional ambiguities of customer involvement, and—based on the analyses of prior definitions and measurement items—suggest an updated, new definition of the concept. The study provides an overview and typology of innovation outcomes of customer involvement by showing that customer involvement may culminate in innovation process improvement, enhanced financial outcomes and superior innovation perception. The findings of this study might be especially insightful for firms that seek to involve customers, as it gives guidance for evaluating both the process and the outcomes of involvement. This emphasises further gaps in the literature and suggests important avenues for further research.