Journal of Marketing Research 2015

Harbingers of Failure

Eric T. Anderson¹; Song Lin^2,3; Duncan Simester⁴; Catherine E. Tucker⁴

¹ Kellogg's (Canada) · ² Hong Kong University of Science and Technology · ³ University of Hong Kong · ⁴ Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Abstract

The authors identify customers, termed “Harbingers of failure,” who systematically purchase new products that flop. Their early adoption of a new product is a strong signal that a product will fail—the more they buy, the less likely the product will succeed. Firms can identify these customers through past purchases of either new products that failed or existing products that few other customers purchase. The authors discuss how these insights can be readily incorporated into the new product development process. The findings challenge the conventional wisdom that positive customer feedback is always a signal of future success.

DOI

10.1509/jmr.13.0415

Sources

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APA 7 MLA 9 Chicago (author–date) Harvard Elsevier Harvard (JFE, JBF…) The Accounting Review Academy of Management American Marketing Association INFORMS (Management Science) Copy citation Copied ✓