Short answer

Design marketing strategies that empower and recognize consumers as co-producers, fostering a collaborative value creation ecosystem.

Field
Innovation & Markets
Source
RePub (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (2018)
Method
Conceptual Framework Development
Evidence
Strong effect

Firms must adapt their marketing strategies to engage consumers not just as recipients of value but as active co-producers within the sharing economy. This innovation & markets research insight is drawn from a 2018 study published in RePub (Erasmus University Rotterdam). Using Conceptual framework development, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Design marketing strategies that empower and recognize consumers as co-producers, fostering a collaborative value creation ecosystem.

Study
Innovation & MarketsHigh ImpactStrong effect

Shifting from Consumers to Co-Producers: A New Marketing Paradigm for the Sharing Economy

Firms must adapt their marketing strategies to engage consumers not just as recipients of value but as active co-producers within the sharing economy.

RePub (Erasmus University Rotterdam) · 2018

01

Key Findings

  • 01The sharing economy necessitates a move beyond traditional marketing models that view consumers solely as passive recipients.
  • 02Firms need to develop marketing strategies that acknowledge and facilitate consumers' roles as co-producers.
  • 03Conceptualizing consumer co-production networks and individual production journeys offers a new lens for understanding value creation.
02

Application

Design takeaway

Design marketing strategies that empower and recognize consumers as co-producers, fostering a collaborative value creation ecosystem.

How to apply

When designing for platforms or services within the sharing economy, consider how users can contribute to the value proposition beyond simple consumption, and design marketing to reflect and encourage this.

Project actions

  • 01Consider how your design project can enable users to contribute to the product or service's value.
  • 02Think about how marketing messages can reflect this user contribution.
  • 03Analyze existing sharing economy platforms to identify examples of consumer co-production.
03

Method & Evidence

AimHow can firms redefine their marketing actions to create value for consumers who are also co-producers in the sharing economy?
MethodConceptual Framework Development
ProcedureThe research proposes a conceptual framework analyzing consumer co-production networks and individual consumer production journeys, integrating household production theory, institutional design theory, and consumer behavior research.
ContextSharing Economy, Digital Platforms, Consumer Behavior

Variables

IV["Marketing actions designed to engage co-producers","Conceptual framework of consumer co-production networks and journeys"]
DV["Value creation for consumers","Consumer engagement in co-production"]
CV["Specific characteristics of the sharing economy platform","Type of consumer co-production activity"]
04

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

  • +Provides a novel conceptual framework for understanding consumer co-production.
  • +Integrates multiple theoretical perspectives to address a contemporary business challenge.

Limitations

The conceptual nature of the framework means direct application without further research might be challenging. Generalizing findings across all sharing economy contexts requires caution.

Reliability & validity

The conceptual nature of the framework limits direct assessment of reliability and validity. Future empirical studies would be needed to establish these.

Think critically

To what extent can traditional marketing principles be adapted for the sharing economy, and where are entirely new approaches required?

05

Design Principles

"Embrace consumers as co-creators of value by designing for participation and shared contribution."

The rise of the sharing economy fundamentally alters the traditional producer-consumer relationship. Understanding and supporting consumers' co-production roles is crucial for businesses to create and capture value effectively in this evolving market landscape.

06

What This Means for Your Design

In the sharing economy, companies need to think about how customers help make the product or service better, not just how they use it, and change their advertising to match.

How to use in your project

  • 1.Reference this paper when discussing the evolving role of the consumer in your design project, particularly in the context of digital platforms and the sharing economy.
  • 2.Use the conceptual framework to analyze how your design addresses consumer co-production.
07

Add to My Project

08

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

The sharing economy necessitates a paradigm shift in marketing, moving from a traditional producer-consumer model to one that acknowledges consumers as active co-producers. This research highlights the need for firms to develop marketing strategies that create value by supporting and leveraging these co-production activities within consumer networks and individual journeys, a critical consideration for designing user-centric platforms in this domain.

09

Source

RePub (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

The consumer production journey: marketing to consumers as co-producers in the sharing economy

journal · 2018

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about shifting from consumers to co-producers: a new marketing paradigm for the sharing economy?
Design marketing strategies that empower and recognize consumers as co-producers, fostering a collaborative value creation ecosystem. Evidence: RePub (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (2018).
Why does "Shifting from Consumers to Co-Producers: A New Marketing Paradigm for the Sharing Economy" matter for design?
The rise of the sharing economy fundamentally alters the traditional producer-consumer relationship. Understanding and supporting consumers' co-production roles is crucial for businesses to create and capture value effectively in this evolving market landscape.
How can designers apply this research?
Design marketing strategies that empower and recognize consumers as co-producers, fostering a collaborative value creation ecosystem.
What were the main findings?
The sharing economy necessitates a move beyond traditional marketing models that view consumers solely as passive recipients.. Firms need to develop marketing strategies that acknowledge and facilitate consumers' roles as co-producers.. Conceptualizing consumer co-production networks and individual production journeys offers a new lens for understanding value creation.
What research method was used?
Conceptual Framework Development.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2018 journal from RePub (Erasmus University Rotterdam).
What should I do differently in my next project?
When designing for platforms or services within the sharing economy, consider how users can contribute to the value proposition beyond simple consumption, and design marketing to reflect and encourage this.
What are the limitations?
The framework is conceptual and requires empirical validation. The specificities of different sharing economy platforms and consumer segments may vary.