Sustainability nudges in the context of customer co-design for consumer electronics
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Sustainability nudges in the context of customer co‑design for consumer electronics Stephan Hankammer1 · Robin Kleer2 · Frank T. Piller3 Accepted: 15 October 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract In this study, we shed light on the unexplored potential of customer co-design in a mass customization (MC) setting to contribute to the promotion of sustainable consumption. We theoretically derive and empirically test several opportunities for companies to improve sustainable consumption and production in a joint effort with consumers. Our research bridges between the MC and the sustainability literature and shows that MC enables consumers to cohere attitude and action, based on individual sustainability preferences. We empirically assess whether MC companies can nudge their customers successfully towards more sustainable choices by designing sustainability-based starting solutions (Study 1) and by providing transparent sustainability information (Study 2) in MC configuration systems. We do so by portraying a simulated online buying process of a customizable TV with a realistic web-based product configurator. We find that sustainable defaults can play a significant role in promoting sustainable consumption, while providing detailed sustainability information does not show an effect. To get more insights into our results, we discuss the results on a supplementary qualitative analysis based on think-aloud consumer tests (Study 3), revealing several suggestions for further research. Using these findings, we revisit sustainability information in Study 4 and find that intuitive labels significantly influence consumers to choose more sustainably. Keywords Mass customization · Sustainability · Customer co-design · Consumer choice · Nudging · Product configurator JEL Classification M14 · M39 · Q01 · Q59
* Stephan Hankammer [email protected] 1
Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, Villestr. 3, 53347 Alfter, Germany
2
Vlerick Business School, Reep 1, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
3
RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 55, 52062 Aachen, Germany
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1 Introduction Progress in production and information technology goes along with great possibilities for personalized production meeting individual consumer needs (Bughin et al. 2013). The aim of mass customization (MC) business models is to offer such customized products at near mass production efficiency (Pine 1993). The interaction between the MC company and its customers, the co-design process in which consumers customize the product according to their individual needs, is an essential factor in marketing mass customized products effectively (Salvador et al. 2009). For consumers, this phase is especially important as they determine the preference fit of the self-designed product (Franke et al. 2010). Digital choice navigation systems (i.e. product configurators) enable consumers in this phase to navigate effectively and efficiently through the co-design process. Research on the design of such “toolkits for customer
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