Understanding knowledge from customers: a systematic literature review

The purpose of this research is to exhaustively review the literature on knowledge from customers thereby enabling it to provide a comprehensive definition and classification of the concept of knowledge from customers and provide a future research agenda, focussing on emerging markets. We employed a rigorous three-step systematic literature review (SLR) process by analysing 184 articles since 1977 published on knowledge from customers. Literature was reviewed using SLR, bibliometric citation analysis, and cluster analysis. This definition involves what the customer knows, what they can use, and what they can co-create to help firms especially in emerging markets achieve their business objectives. This research is the first systematic literature review attempt in the field of knowledge from customers that proposes a definition and classification of knowledge from customers based on many articles across a broad period. We provide research agenda for both international researchers and multinational firms concerned with emerging markets.