Product innovation in the Dutch food and beverage industry

Book excerpt: Food and beverage (F&B) companies are increasingly confronted with important strategic and operational questions as the dynamics in their environment constantly create new challenges. These challenges stimulate the management of many F&B companies to become innovative. Innovation managers have to deal with questions concerning the product innovation strategy, the partners with whom they can co-innovate and the management of the innovation process. Four studies have been carried out that all use empirical data on 129 products of the Dutch F&B industry. Data were collected in 2000 and in 2005. The studies focus on the innovative product itself, rather than on the companies. They provide empirical evidence of the relationships between factors dealing with the product innovation process, the innovation strategy, the innovation network and the market performance of the products. Where most studies only deal with short term performance, these studies also deal with the market performance in the long term (seven years after product launch). This book contributes to a better understanding of the key factors in product innovation in the F&B industry that are related to and explain the product’s successful market performance in the short and long term.