Consumers’ perceptions of user innovation concepts

: a fashion industry approach

Abstract

Open innovation is gaining traction as individuals have easier access to new information and communication technologies which enables them to effortlessly acquire and exchangeknowledge. Involving consumers in the innovation process represents a great opportunity for businesses to cut developing costs while delivering products that are a better match to consumers’ preferences and needs. Several studies have highlighted the importance that concepts of user innovation such as mass customisation and co-creation play in today’s digital era, with no clear distinction as to which is the preferred strategy from the consumer perspective, in the fashion industry. This dissertation followed a quantitative numeric data collection by conducting a survey. 101 participants took part in a within-subject design experiment to examine the differences in consumers’ purchase intentions, perceptions of quality, and perceptions of innovation between co-created and mass customised fashion products. The results indicate that communicating products as co-created enhances perceived innovation and purchase intention over mass customised products. Furthermore, this dissertation provides valuable implications for the theory of consumer participation in the innovation process and managerial recommendations in terms of marketing strategies on how to engage with current and potential consumers to increase fashion businesses’ competitive advantage.

Date of Award	29 Jun 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Cláudia Costa (Supervisor)