Co-creation is an ingenious model companies such as We Are Convie have created to have multiple personal inputs in the design of their products. In this article, we’ll explore what community co-creation is. How it’s done, and finally, we will give you five benefits of co-creation.
What is Co-creation?
Co-creation is when businesses include external personnel in their creativity and development process. Co-creation is actually very progressive because most companies prefer to keep new products and processes secret. Co-creation is nothing new, but the increasing impact of social media has led to a greater need to connect with consumers. The personnel involved could include employees, consumers, suppliers, competitors, and influencers. The goal is to constantly farm out new ideas with different perspectives to make a product better or even create a new product.
How Do You Co-create
Co-creation in industries such as cosmetics and beauty can take different forms, such as co-design, co-marketing, co-testing, and co-production; it all depends on the level of involvement of the consumer. A common tactic is the creation of a beta program that comprises a variety of consumers, all with different backgrounds, expertise, and experience. To ensure success, clearly define the goal, listen and learn from their feedback, and then re-evaluate. To promote more collaboration, ensure incentives are provided during the various stages, whether at ideation or prototype sessions. Consumers should be made to feel special and crucial in the co-creation process to allow them express their creativity.
Three Benefits of Co-creation
Co-creation is vital for the survival of various industries and has various benefits, such as:
1. Tailor-made Products
Co-creation helps bring new ideas, and this prevents businesses from predicting what the consumers need. Instead, they should involve them in the process so as to make it more tailored to their needs.
2. Increased Financial Performance
Businesses show improved financial performance as a result of the introduction of a community co-creation model. This increase could be a result of the increased social impact from the direct involvement of consumers in the creation of the products.
3. New and Ingenious ideas
The co-creation model is a breeding ground for new and unexpected ideas that could improve the existing product or, better still, create a whole new product that better serves a company’s existing consumer base.
Final Thought
The community co-creation model has revolutionised various industries because of the direct involvement of outsiders, such as employees, consumers, suppliers, competitors, and influencers in the design process. This collaboration process involves the creation of beta programs and the use of influencers. This model has added benefits such as the creation of ingenious ideas that improve the existing products, which make the product tailored for the consumer’s needs, and improved financial benefits for the company; it’s a win-win scenario for both sides.
