Abstract
Notions like working consumers, active consumers, and consum-actors are used conjointly and interchangeable with the prosumer concept. But literature findings do not support such bewilderment. Thus, the present paper aims to uncover the relevance of the prosumer concept and examine the specific factors which empower consumers to be become prosumers and participate in co-creation activities. As prosumer characteristics have had limited attention in literature, the authors have chosen a Grounded Theory exploratory approach based on expert understandings of the phenomenon, using both in-depth semi-structured interviews with experts and literature analysis to develop a theoretical model of the concept. After understanding what makes a consumer co-create value with and for a company, management and marketing specialists have all the necessary information to delineate strategic directions for innovative results.
TopBackground
In the last decade there has been a growing academic interest in different forms of prosumer collaboration (Cova, Kozinets & Shankar, 2007). In practice, prosumers have been associated with value added activities in corporate environments or governmental spheres. Prosumers have the power to create value for themselves and for their peers, but especially for businesses in an open innovation approach (Chesbrough, 2003). Thus, they are becoming an extremely important external partner in delivering added value in a competitive environment. Kotler (1986) argues that managers together with marketing specialists should look for opportunities to facilitate prosumption activities. Companies are motivated to involve prosumers in product or service design at any stage due to several benefits: reduced risk and customer satisfaction (Cova et al., 2011), development of products that match and satisfy customers’ needs (Enkel, Perez-Freije & Gassmann, 2005), the design, improvement and marketing promotion of new services (Sigala, 2012).
But we merely have some definitions and guidance for prosumer behavior. How can organizations increase their participation? Knowing prosumers’ relevant characteristics will help managers engage them effectively in pursuit of the benefits listed above. In this line of reasoning, the present paper aims to provide a thorough conceptualization of prosumer characteristics in the co-creation context of organizational studies.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Prosumer: A consumer who exceeds his/her role by creatively engaging and co-producing value alongside an organization or platform.
In-Depth Interview: A semi-structured interview based on an adaptable interview guide for information exploration.
Creativity: The production of something novel which is perceived as original and valuable by significant others.
Co-Creation: The result of a joint creative collaboration between an organization and its customer, with benefits for both parties.
Technology: The principles and processes needed for the development of useful tools.
Grounded theory: A qualitative research method that builds theories from various forms of data (case studies, interviews, observations) through theoretical sampling and constant data comparison.
Consumer Engagement: The participation and psychological involvement of the consumer in the creation of products, experiences, or services with an organization.