Beyond Newness: Redefining Product Innovativeness for Greater Empirical Consistency

Abstract

Determining the level of product innovativeness (PI) remains a key focus in new product development; however, the lack of consensus on its construct challenges the generalizability of prior research findings. This study reviews 31 key publications to synthesize conceptualizations and measurements of PI, with a focus on differentiating incremental and radical innovations. Six core dimensions are identified: generic newness, functional innovativeness, product advantage, behavioral change, category deviation, and risk/uncertainty. The authors’ analysis reveals that these dimensions have different and, at times opposing, effects on product adoption. Revealing significant inconsistencies between the conceptualizations and operationalizations of the constructs, particularly for radical innovations, the authors’ research shows that a coherent construct is needed to enhance the comparability of future empirical studies and provide clearer practical implications for the field. Building on the author’ findings, the authors propose a unified, multidimensional framework for product innovativeness that allows us to capture different types of innovation equally while accounting for consumer-specific processes of innovation perception.