Early Customer Integration ECI - New Trends and Developments beyond the Lead User Approach

In the current diverse and dynamic business environment, customer contributions can improve the effectiveness of product innovation activities. Consequently, companies engage in numerous initiatives to get closer to their customers or involve them directly in their innovation processes. In this analysis of European high-tech companies, the authors focus on the innovation front-end, since during the early stages of the innovation process, customer consideration can greatly affect innovation success. Using specific manufacturer goals for early customer integration (ECI) as starting point, the authors derive necessary customer contributions, then develop a conceptual framework for ECI. Four new customer roles enhance the well-known lead user approach: opportunity sensor, complementary specialist, specifier, and selector. Using this foundation, the paper analyses the respective characteristics and managerial challenges of these ECI roles.