Innovation by Lead Users inside the Firm

It is clear that there are lead users who contribute to innovation inside a company, and that the products conceived by these lead users inside the firm have high idea evaluation and product performance in the marketplace. The purpose of this study is to clarify how retail store salespersons with the qualities of lead users inside the firm contribute to innovation in new product development. Retail store salespersons can contribute to the innovation process of the firm by obtaining a variety of information from customer contact points. A case study of new product development was conducted among retail salespersons with the characteristics of lead users inside the firm. An analysis using the grounded theory approach showed that these salespersons contribute to new product development by utilizing their lead user characteristics as an individual factor, through co-creation with the planning and development department as a contextual factor, and by integrating their own needs and customer needs as a customer factor.