Customer Need Identification Methods in New Product Development: What Works “Best”?

Felix Geyer, Jens Lehnen () and Cornelius Herstatt ()
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Felix Geyer: Hamburg University of Technology, Germany
Jens Lehnen: Hamburg University of Technology, Germany
Cornelius Herstatt: Hamburg University of Technology, Germany

International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), 2018, vol. 15, issue 01, 1-26

Abstract: Although new product development is associated with high failure rates, it is still the most natural measure for firms to grow and by that expand their market position. Therefore, firms need to optimally align product functions to the needs of their target customer. By conducting an online survey with 179 participants, this paper identifies the most commonly applied need identification techniques. We can show that analyzing internal data and external reports today is the most commonly used method, at least in the German-speaking world. Still, interacting with customers via different approaches is perceived as the most beneficial approach, at the same time being very resource-demanding. In contrast to most scientific studies analyzing this topic, we furthermore identify reasons for refusing certain methods, e.g. because of lack of knowledge and resources or severe resistance within the organizations. Additionally, we derive academic and practical information from the input of the survey data for an improved application in the future.

Keywords: New product development; methodologies; customer need identification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1142/S0219877018500086

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