IT-Enabled Product Innovation: Customer Motivation for Participating in Virtual Idea Communities

Abstract

Virtual idea communities (VICs) such as Dell’s ‘Ideastorm’ are very popular in practice. In VICs, customers of firms can submit ideas to support product innovation. This customer-based ideation is not new. Customers have been brought together in lead-user-workshops or focus-groups since the 1980s to support product innovation. However, VICs represents a new form of IT-mediated ideation with customers. While extant research has provided insights into customers’ motives for participating in traditional ideation, we know little about the motivations that drive customer participation in this new form of IT-enabled ideation. Based on a survey of customer motivations for participation, we found evidence for motives that arise directly due to the VIC’s IT-ability to support visualisation of customer ideas, to give feedback on ideas, and to support customers’ social interactions. As a result, VICs are perceived as a way to demonstrate personal capabilities, for getting recognition, and for facilitating social interaction.

Keywords: virtual idea community, open innovation, crowdsourcing, motivation, ideation, new product development, customer involvement, idea management system