Prosumerism of companies – benefits and challenges for consumers

Abstract

Nowadays, consumers do not want to be just recipients of the market offer, but they want to influence it, which is why companies must change their business models to be more open, taking into account the activity and involvement of consumers. Prosumerism therefore refers to the activities of companies that are focused on cooperation with consumers. Prosumption, defined as consumer activity, takes various forms, from expressing one’s opinions, sharing one's experience, through adapting the offer to one's own needs, to participating in its creation. Prosumption activities are beneficial for both companies and consumers. However, they also involve certain threats and challenges for both parties.The article contains an analysis of the results of research aimed at finding out how respondents perceive prosumerism? What are their expectations regarding cooperation with companies? and what benefits and threats do they see related to prosumerism? Most respondents expect them to be included in the company's activities in various areas. They also undertake various prosumer activities themselves, focusing more on giving opinions on the market offer and testing products than on activities requiring greater involvement, such as designing or co-creating products and services. Prosumption enables consumers, among others, to: sharing their knowledge, ideas, access to information based on which they can make more informed decisions, thus reducing the risk of purchasing products that are inconsistent with expectations, also through the ability to modify and adapt products/services to their own needs. Prosumers also have the opportunity to stand out by submitting their own proposals for solutions that can be used by other consumers or companies. The respondents also emphasized participation in consumer networks, thanks to which they do not feel lonely, but have a sense of belonging to a group of people who share common interests. Apart from the benefits, the respondents also notice certain threats related to the prosumerism of companies, i.e. consumers doing work without remuneration, manipulating consumers by creating the appearance of cooperation, but in fact not taking into account their proposals and opinions, and thus underestimating their work by companies. Therefore, companies should create solutions that enable consumers to cooperate with them, as well as encourage them to be active and involved, because thanks to this they can prepare an offer in line with their expectations and thus strengthen their position on the market.

Keywords

• prosumerism
• prosumption
• company
• consumer