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Who is at the cutting-edge of market trends? Development of a scale for identifying “Lead-users”

Author

Listed:
  • Alazne Mujika-Alberdi

    (Universidad de Deusto-campus de San Sebastián, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, Mundaiz 50, 20012 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain)

  • Juan-José Gibaja-Martíns

    (Universidad de Deusto-campus de San Sebastián, Deusto Business School, Mundaiz 50, 20012 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain)

  • Iñaki García-Arrizabalaga

    (Universidad de Deusto-campus de San Sebastián, Deusto Business School, Mundaiz 50, 20012 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain)

Abstract

Users are, by no means, an insignificant source of innovative and attractive products. 5% of our non-representative sample of consumers from Gipuzkoa innovates, which is quite similar to findings in other relevant studies on the subject. This would suggest that innovation management and policies that are exclusively manufacturer-oriented and fail to take the user into account will always be unsatisfactory and incomplete. However, it is equally true that not all consumers innovate. The challenge, therefore, is for companies who wish to develop co-creation strategies with consumers to be able to identify those consumers who do. To this end, the authors present a reliable and valid scale called “Consumers at the Cutting-Edge”. We offer a 31-item scale divided in three dimensions (“User leadership”, “Curiosity/creativity”, and “Availability of time and skills for product development”) designed specifically for the identification of lead users so that they can contribute to the innovation process.

Suggested Citation

  • Alazne Mujika-Alberdi & Juan-José Gibaja-Martíns & Iñaki García-Arrizabalaga, 2015. "Who is at the cutting-edge of market trends? Development of a scale for identifying “Lead-users”," Cuadernos de Economía - Spanish Journal of Economics and Finance, Asociación Cuadernos de Economía, vol. 38(107), pages 107-122, Agsoto.
    • Handle: RePEc:cud:journl:v:38:y:2015:i:107:p:107-122
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    User innovation; Lead users; Scale measurement; Innovation policy; Co-creation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M31 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Marketing and Advertising - - - Marketing
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D

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