Whenever we refer to customer co-creation we always talk about all the different ways our clients can utilize it. We stress to them that co-creation opens a two-way conversation with their own customers and they can connect with their customers in a way that they have never been able to before. This month I want to call focus to the other side of the coin; how does co-creation benefit the consumer?
Let me be heard!
I think the biggest and sometimes most forgotten reason that consumers participate in the co-creation process is they just want to be heard. In more traditional research, we have heard all too many statements like, “Why did they do this?”, “Who came up with this idea, I’ll never use it.” By creating a dialogue between the client and their consumers, the ideation process doesn’t have to stop there.
The consumers want to be involved in new product ideas from the get-go, not just once a product is already produced. Recently we ran a CrowdWeaving® project for one of our clients within a pulse community, and we received numerous emails from the respondents thanking us for including them in the decision-making process and product-creation process. It allowed the consumer to feel respected and appreciated.
Rewards!
Of course we can state the obvious—as with other types of research, people participate for the incentives or rewards. Who doesn’t like getting “stuff” for sharing their opinions? We always say it is not all about the reward, but we know that people like to be incentivized to participate. It doesn’t have to be anything big, but some sort of recognition.
We have also incorporated an element of gamification into our process. Not only are the participants earning points toward redemption of an incentive, but they are also able to earn different badges based on their level of participation. You would be surprised that sometimes earning badges is more “rewarding” than an actual monetary reward!
Of course these are only a few of the ways in which the consumer can benefit from co-creation. The thing to remember is that co-creation does not just benefit the client, but it also benefits the consumer.