Title: Steps towards a consumer-driven innovation machine for 'ordinary' product categories in their later lifecycle stages

Authors: Alex Gofman, Howard Moskowitz

Addresses: Moskowitz Jacobs Inc., 1025 Westchester Avenue, White Plains, 10604 New York, USA. ' Moskowitz Jacobs Inc., 1025 Westchester Avenue, White Plains, 10604 New York, USA

Abstract: This paper presents a research driven approach to innovating product features in categories typically considered to be mature and low involvement. The approach begins with the identification of product features realisable by developers, works with consumers using internet research tools (conjoint analysis) to identify the features that drive acceptance and further identifies opportunities by both varying the respondent|s task (rating on different end uses) and by using concept-response segmentation to uncover new mind-sets. The actual identification of innovation opportunities emerges most clearly from the segmentation of respondents into like-minded clusters of individuals, with clearly different patterns of features that they want. Within those clusters are seeds of new product ideas.

Keywords: concept response; conjoint analysis; consumer insights; experimental design; innovation opportunities; optimisation; segmentation; consumer-driven innovation; product lifecycle; product features; internet; new product ideas; idea generation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2009.022658

International Journal of Technology Management, 2009 Vol.45 No.3/4, pp.349 - 363

Published online: 24 Jan 2009 *

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