Online co-innovation: Users Latent Profile in two European Countries

摘要

The practice of engaging customers in the innovation process is becoming popular as a way to innovate faster, cheaper and more successfully. Customers seem willing to spend time and energy to help businesses develop better products and services. This study examines the motives of customers to participate in social media-based co-innovation processes on the basis of factors analyzed in the literature and adapted to the variables identified in the Uses and Gratifications Theory. The study compares the empirical findings in two European countries, The Netherlands and Spain and identifies the co-creating customers' latent profiles. The findings indicate a number of similarities and differences between the co-creating consumers in the two countries and provides a clear picture as to the factors motivating consumer to participate in co-creation processes by means of interactions in social media environments and provides practitioners with interesting backgrounds for attracting customers in online co-creation ventures.