RELATIONAL MECHANISMS IN INNOVATION CO-CREATION

Abstract

Increasingly, producers and customers establish relationships to mutually undertake the development of an innovative product. Consequently, it will be always of interest for an innovative company to know the degree to which different related suppliers are willing to form partnerships by participating in its new product development process. Several managerial implications flow from the link between relationship marketing and innovation processes, ranging from tactical product-related decisions to strategic competitor-related decisions, usually made in a relatively short period of time. Dedicated customer relationship systems track the interactions with customers and improve the flow of ideas for new products. When trying to develop long-term customer relationships, the ability to provide superior value to stakeholders is a must. Through carefully conducted relationships, customers are linked with the innovation company during the entire innovation process, and create a space for mutual understanding, learning and value co-creation. In order to co-create business value through online, also combined with offline innovation-related activities, customer orientation should be implemented throughout the organization – its culture, their systems, including the whole range of interactions.