Making Full Use of Qualitative Data to Generate New Fish Product Ideas through Co-Creation with Consumers: A Methodological Approach

Abstract

Co-creation is a process that directly involves different stakeholders in the idea generation phase of a new product development process. A pool of 112 new aquaculture fish product ideas was obtained by applying a combination of creative and projective techniques to the co-creation process with consumers in six focus groups conducted in three European countries (Germany, France, and Spain). The subjectivity of qualitative data analysis (e.g., focus groups) is one of its recognised disadvantages. To overcome this drawback, a combination of specialised software (i.e., Alceste), along with word frequency, co-occurrence, and context checking, was applied to provide a different approach to data analyses in qualitative studies. The method identified the most salient dimensions behind the participants’ discourse (naturalness, quality, ethics, price, and health) and inferred the importance those dimensions had for them, thus proving the existence of a correlation of 0.7 between what the participants said (frequency of mention) and what they liked the most (importance). Overall, the exploratory approach proposed is deemed useful for drawing key conclusions from qualitative research, thus offering an alternative to traditional content analysis. In future, the results obtained may be useful for selecting the co-created ideas with the greatest potential to be well received in the market.

Consumer Sentiments and Emotions in New Seafood Product Concept Development: A Co-Creation Approach Using Online Discussion Rooms in Croatia, Italy and Spain

“…Moreover, as already highlighted by López-Masco et al [ 19 ], co-creation with consumers during the first phases of NPD has some possible limitations. Consumers might generate ideas based on their own personal preferences rather than considering social or environmental issues [ 55 ].…”

“…Specifically, in this identification process, sardines were considered suitable for sustainable exploitation while allowing for processing development toward an extended shelf life. On the other hand, sea burgers appear to have a high market potential, as a ready-to-cook or ready-to-eat solution, responding to the needs of modern consumers for more convenient food [ 19 ].…”

“…Recently, research has shown that involving consumers in co-creation is a pivotal factor during the initial stages of NPD of idea generation, screening, and scoping [ 19 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Co-creation has been defined as a process that directly involves different types of stakeholders, including consumers, in idea generation [ 19 ].…”

“…Recently, research has shown that involving consumers in co-creation is a pivotal factor during the initial stages of NPD of idea generation, screening, and scoping [ 19 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Co-creation has been defined as a process that directly involves different types of stakeholders, including consumers, in idea generation [ 19 ]. The collaboration between developers and customers through co-creation not only brings value creation in product development [ 11 ] but also explores consumers’ wants and needs [ 30 ].…”

“…Although the current food market seems to largely cover most food categories [ 18 ], fewer new seafood products have been proposed compared with other food industries (e.g., meat), leaving room for NPD and exploration of potential consumers’ acceptance [ 19 ]. At the same time, few studies have analyzed consumers’ responses to new seafood product concepts, particularly in the Mediterranean area.…”