Using social media to develop and commercialize new ICT products

Abstract

Objective The commercialization or go-to-market process is one of the most important activities for any business. Companies are searching for methodologies and techniques to rapidly validate their concepts and at an early stage integrate market needs into their development process so that they can accelerate the go-to-market process of a new product. In order to create an effective tool to support companies, this research is conducted to study on how social media be used in developing and commercializing new products.

Methodology The research used qualitative research method in which a mix of different types of data were collected. Multiple case study approach analyses various aspects of the commercialization processes and social media practices thus seeking for answers from the overview phenomena.

Results and findings An integration framework generated from theory review helps companies to better understand their development process as well as practices that need to be carried out in certain phases of the process and to accelerate the innovation in entering a new market. The social media canvas was created and aimed to be a practical tool for company in conducting a workshop within the team and planning how to utilize social media in developing or commercializing a product.