Product innovation

Product innovation is the creation and subsequent introduction of a good or service that is either new, or an improved version of previous goods or services. This is broader than the normally accepted definition of innovation that includes the invention of new products which, in this context, are still considered innovative.

Introduction

Product innovation is defined as:

the development of new products, changes in design of established products, or use of new materials or components in the manufacture of established products[1]

Numerous examples of product innovation include introducing new products, enhanced quality and improving its overall performance. Product innovation, alongside cost-cutting innovation and process innovation, are three different classifications of innovation which aim to develop a company's production methods.[2]

Thus product innovation can be divided into two categories of innovation: radical innovation which aims at developing a new product, and incremental innovation which aims at improving existing products.[3]

Advantages and Disadvantages of Product Innovation

Numerous advantages of product innovation include:

Numerous disadvantages of product innovation include:

New product development

New product development is the initial step before the Product Life Cycle can be examined, and plays a vital role in the manufacturing process. To prevent loss of profits or liquidation for businesses in the long term, new products have to be created to replace the old products.[10] Peter Drucker suggests in his book 'Innovation and Entrepreneurship' that both product innovation and entrepreneurship are interconnected and must be used together in unison for a business to be successful, and this relates to the process of new product development.[11]

Stages of New Product Development

These are the few stages that a business has to undergo when introducing a new product line into the market:

1. Market Research: This can be done in the form of primary and primary market research where the business will gather as much information as possible about the present tastes and preferences of its potential consumers, and the gaps filled in the business's particular industry. Secondary market research involves gathering data that has already been collected by another party, and is primarily based on information that has been founded from previous studies. One advantage of secondary market research over primary market research is that it is low-cost, thus enabling the business to be able to invest its time into other more important matters and new potential business ventures. Primary market research involves the business gathering data individually, and this can be done via various sampling methods. Other forms of primary market research include focus groups, interviews, questionnaires, etc. One advantage of primary market research over secondary market research is that it delivers much more specific results than secondary market research, and is only available to the business itself, rather than secondary research which is made globally available, as data has already been collected.[12]

2. Product Development and Testing: This stage involves creating a test product called a prototype. The prototype ensures the business that its product is functioning properly, and all the necessary arrangements are made to enhance the product as much as possible.[13] After the prototype has been devised, the business can now use test marketing where the business introduces a product to a small group of individuals to give the company insight into the effectiveness of the product from the views of their potential customers.[14]

3. Feasibility Study: The business will now look at the legal and financial restrictions of launching the product into the market. This is where the business will create sales forecasts, establish the price of the product, the overall costs of production and profitability estimates. The business also has to consider legal aspects in terms of safety and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).[15]

After all these stages have been successfully run through, then the business can officially launch the product.

Existing Product Development

In summary Existing Product Development is a well researched and thought out process of innovation where products/services are redesigned, refurbished, improved, and manufactured which can be at a lower cost. This will provide benefits to both the company and the consumer in different ways; for example, increased revenue (benefits the company) cheaper costs (benefits the company and consumer) or even benefits the environment by implementation of 'Green' production methods. It is overall a beneficial and strategic move to any company when done correctly.

References

  1. Policy Studies Institute, University of Westminster. "Small Firms' Innovation" (PDF). Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  2. Hoang, Paul (2010). Business & management. [Melton, Vic.]: IBID Press. p. 686. ISBN 978-1876659639.
  3. Wong, S.K.S. (2014), "Impacts of environmental turbulence on entrepreneurial orientation and new product success", European Journal of Innovation Management, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp.229 - 249
  4. "Product Differentiation". Investopedia. Investopedia. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  5. "Advantages & Disadvantages of Innovative Technology". Chron. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  6. "brand switching". allBusiness.
  7. Bloodgood, James. "Benefits and Drawbacks of Innovation and Imitation" (PDF). International Journal of Innovation and Business Strategy 02 (August 2013): 19. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  8. Hoang, Paul (2010). Business & management. [Melton, Vic.]: IBID Press. p. 688. ISBN 978-1876659639.
  9. Hoang, Paul (2010). Business & management. [Melton, Vic.]: IBID Press. p. 688. ISBN 978-1876659639.
  10. "Product Life Cycle Stages". Product Life Cycle Stages. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  11. Drucker, Peter (2012). Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Routledge. p. 229. ISBN 1136017615.
  12. "The difference between primary and secondary market research". allBusiness. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  13. "Creating a Product Prototype". Entrepreneur.
  14. "What Is Test Marketing? - Definition, Types & Examples". Education Portal. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  15. Hoang, Paul (2010). Business & management. [Melton, Vic.]: IBID Press. p. 504. ISBN 9781876659639.
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