Consumer-Driven Innovation Networks and E-business Management Systems

This paper examines the use of consumer-driven innovation networks within the UK foodretailing industry using qualitative interview-based research analysed within an economic framework. This perspective revealed that by exploiting information gathered directly from their customers at point-of-sale and data mining, supermarkets are able to identify consumer preferences and co-ordinate new product development via innovation networks. This has been made possible through their information control of the supply-chain established through the use of transparent inventory management systems. As a result, supermarkets' e-business systems have established new competitive processes in the UK food-processing and retailing industry and are an example of consumer-driven innovation networks. The informant-based qualitative approach also revealed that trust-based transacting relationships operated differently from those previously described in the literature. Electronic Access The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at; www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at; www.emeraldinsight.com/1352-2752.htm