Schumpeterian customers? How active users co- create innovations

Up until recently, the role of the customer in economic geography seems to have been confined to a passive recipient of products at the end of the value chain. Innovation, in particular, has been conceived as an affair within and between firms. More recently, however, this traditional perception has been challenged. Consumers, in fact, are no longer seen as mere buyers of commodities but are more and more perceived (and perceive themselves) as competent users who contribute valuable knowledge to innovation processes and who have the power and capacity to intervene at all stages in the value creation process. Value co-creation has emerged as a new paradigm that signifies this transformation of the role of consumers. The prime aim of this chapter is to map out the evolving terrain of value co-creation and to draw conclusions for economic geographical inquiry into innovation processes.