Social media discussion forums and product innovation - The way forward?

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential use of social media discussion forums in product innovation. The literature shows the value of sport addicts and hobbyists as innovators in product innovation; hence this study is related to sports. This is an empirical study based on substantial data collected from 28 discussion forums. Altogether 2,178 discussions related to heart rate monitors have been evaluated for this paper.
 
 Discussion forums can be regarded as a source of product innovation. However, due to the excessive amount of information in these forums, a planned approach in order to utilize these remarks is necessary. Sport addicts and hobbyists are very interested in product improvements and usage possibilities, forming a considerable resource. Social media discussion forums can replace focus groups, online surveys and panels, and it is easy to reach large groups, test ideas and secure feedback. However, the rapid speed in conversations and excessive need for interaction between individuals set high demands for organizations, as they should clearly decide how to participate, when and how to direct discussions, and how to effectively be present.

Inovação, Desenvolvimento de Novos Produtos e as Tecnologias Internet: estudo em empresas brasileiras

“…Discussion forums are sources of incremental product innovation (Haavisto, 2012) and can be used to build communities of innovation (Jeppesen & Molin, 2003) and create electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) in product development (Andreassen & Streukens, 2009). This research found companies that used discussion forums focusing internal staff, seeking to centralize and facilitate communication with collaborators.…”

“…In addition, search engines are used to identify relevant content to business (Brin & Page, 1998;Singhal & Nagar, 2013). Companies also have used discussion forums, virtual meeting places for interaction between people who share same interests (Nambisan & Baron, 2009;Haavisto, 2012). Social media facilitate user interactions and have been used and investigated for innovation.…”

Conducting Product Innovation by Using Social Media among Japanese Firms

“…It is also useful for constructing mutual trust with consumers and raising economic value for consumers (Noone, McGuire, & Rohlfs, 2011;Kate & Pavan, 2012). Information that consumers exchange through social media contains useful content for product improvement, new marketing strategies, and the promotion of sales (Haavisto, 2012;Idota, Bunno, & Tsuji, 2017). In other words, social media brings opportunities related to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) (Malthouse, Haenlein, Skiera, Wege, & Zhang, 2013).…”

“…Moreover, social media can be used for obtaining useful consumer needs for product innovation and enable collaboration with entities outside the firm. As mentioned above, a large number of studies examining the roles of social media in business focus mainly on marketing and the sales force; they analyze how social media are utilized for advertising their products, sampling consumer needs, surveying the reputation of products, and so on (Noone, et al, 2011;Agnihotri, Kothandaraman, Kashyap, & Singh, 2012;Groza, Peterson, Sullivan, & Krishnan, 2012;Haavisto, 2012;Hausmann, 2012;Kate & Pavan, 2012;Rodriguez, et al, 2012;Schultz, Schwepker, & Good, 2012;Luo & Zhang, 2013;Malthouse, et al, 2013). Useful content for product improvement and new marketing strategies are contained in information that users exchange through social media (Haavisto, 2012).…”

The Effectiveness of Social Media for Business Activities in Japanese Firms

“…Social media is also useful for constructing mutual trust with consumers and raising economic value for consumers [6,7]. Information that consumers exchange through social media contains useful contents for product improvement and new marketing strategies [8]. In other words, social media brings opportunities for customer relationship management (CRM) [9].…”