Co-creation is a business strategy that involves customers in the development process to produce a mutually beneficial outcome. This collaborative approach allows customers to participate in various ways, from simple contributions to modifying the product or even designing it. Co-creation allows businesses to redefine their value creation process, focusing on the consumer[2]. It involves different stages and may pose several risks. Various concepts like co-design, co-marketing and crowdsourcing are linked to co-creation. It is a subject of extensive academic research and has practical applications in business. This strategy, discussed by renowned authors like Prahalad and Ramaswamy, has implications for marketing, consumer research, and value creation. Co-creation can lead to personalized experiences, revenue generation, and customer[1] loyalty[3], ultimately transforming businesses into customer-centric entities.
Co-creation, in the context of a business, refers to a product or service design process in which input from consumers plays a central role from beginning to end. Less specifically, the term is also used for any way in which a business allows consumers to submit ideas, designs or content. This way, the firm will not run out of ideas regarding the design to be created and at the same time, it will further strengthen the business relationship between the firm and its customers. Another meaning is the creation of value by ordinary people, whether for a company or not. The first person to use the "Co-" in "co-creation" as a marketing prefix was Koichi Shimizu, professor of Josai University, in 1979. In 1979, "co-marketing" was introduced at the Japan Society of Commerce's national conference. Everything with "Co" comes from here.