Emerging market innovations: unique and differential drivers, practitioner implications, and research agenda

Abstract

Growth in emerging markets is critical as it leads global economic growth. Emerging market innovations, which we define as innovations created in an emerging market for use by consumers or customers in that market and possibly other markets, form the engine for such growth and continue to rise in importance for various stakeholders. These innovations fundamentally differ from developed market innovations, and impact consumers, firms, governments, and the society at large. Conceptual research on emerging market innovation has not focused on the differential drivers of emerging and developed market innovations. Most empirical studies have also focused on only one emerging market, not offering generalizable conclusions across emerging markets. Thus, while prior research offers a limited understanding of factors specific to emerging market innovations, not much is known about the unique and differential drivers of emerging market innovations relative to developed market innovations. Our study offers a broader framework highlighting the unique aspects of emerging market innovations, their unique and differential (relative to developed market innovations) drivers, and related practitioner takeaways. Our framework and propositions suggest that different drivers impact the demand and supply for innovations, and, in turn, the number of innovations differently in emerging and developed markets. We outline an agenda for future research.