User involvement in radical innovation: are consumers conservative?

Abstract

Purpose -Consumers are sometimes unexpectedly resistant toward radically innovative product concepts, and it is often argued that this is due to their difficulties in understanding the novel products. Thus, marketing research has focused on new ways to make consumers familiar with new product concepts. The purpose of this study is to present the argument that educating consumers may not solve all problems, and may sometimes even address the wrong question. Design/methodology/approach -The authors' previous research on consumer responses to new product concepts for the purchasing and consumption of food is drawn upon to explore the reasons for consumers' acceptance of and resistance to radical product innovations. Findings -Ignorance about radical product concepts is not the sole reason for consumers' resistance to novelties. In many cases, consumers understand the product concepts fairly well. Their lack of enthusiasm stems from other reasons, including the innovation's instrumentalism, its impact on consumers' autonomy, as well as its organizational complexity and systemic effects. Practical implications -The findings suggest that companies introducing new product innovations may need to take consumers' resistance more seriously. They might need to reconsider the acceptability of new product innovations, and integrate these considerations at earlier stages of the innovation cycle. A more open-ended approach to concept testing is suggested, encouraging users to evaluate concepts more critically. Concept testing should not be used as a pass/fail screen, but as an opportunity to learn more about potential impacts of the innovation on everyday life and society. Originality/value -The paper reconsiders resistance to innovations, and demonstrates the value of consumer research for product development.

The uncertainty of innovation: a systematic review of the literature

“…They have argued that the Japanese regulatory environment has caused a high level of uncertainty leading to stagnation in the development of medical innovations. Heiskanen et al (2007) have achieved similar research results concerning the dissemination of innovation. According to them, intelligent packaging has been only slowly disseminated within Europe, at least partly due to uncertainties about legislation.…”

Finding-NEVO: Toward Radical Design in HCI

“…rewards, management policies), or Going from concept to testable prototype advocate the approach of concept refinement through the involvement of users (e.g. [8,9]). Management science is concerned with the potential of a product to be adopted by users, thus defining radical products "in the sense that they imply changes in consumers' everyday lives" [9].…”

“…[8,9]). Management science is concerned with the potential of a product to be adopted by users, thus defining radical products "in the sense that they imply changes in consumers' everyday lives" [9]. In contrast, our concept of radicalness in HCI research is that it is valuable because it is an extension to knowledge in and of itself.…”

The Influence of Green External Integration on Firm Performance: Does Firm Size Matter?

“…It has been commonly assumed that green customer integration is more favorable to incremental innovation rather than radical innovation [58]. If this is true, green external integration could potentially limit the development of breakthrough products.…”