Recent years have witnessed a resurgence of academic and practitioner interest in new product
development and in the way companies interact with their customers. While there has been considerable
scientific progress in both research areas, very limited attention has been given to customer interaction in
the new product development process as a means to increase new product success. This paper reports on
research assessing the performance impact of (1) the intensity of customer interaction in different stages
of the new product development process and (2) the characteristics of the involved customers. The
research is based on field interviews as well as statistical analyses of a sample in the machinery industry.
Results indicate that customer interaction during certain stages (but not others) of the new product
development process has a positive impact on new product success. The characteristics of the involved
customers have a significant effect on new product success as well. As an example, collaborating with
financially attractive customers or customers exhibiting lead user characteristics increases new product
success. It is also demonstrated that there is a gap between the performance impact of customer
interaction during new product development and the current business practice in this field.
Zusätzliche Informationen:
Der Titel wurde anläßlich der Gründung des IMU aus einer Schriftenreihe des ZMU (Zentrum für Marktorientierte Unternehmensführung)an der WHU Koblenz übernommen.
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