Abstract
This research builds on consumer inference theory to examine consumers’ design newness perceptions of crowdsourced products. Over the course of two experimental studies, we find that consumers perceive higher levels of design newness for products that are labeled as crowdsourced (selected and/or designed by users). In turn, these positive design newness perceptions increase consumers’ purchase intentions. Furthermore, our findings reveal that the design newness effect of crowdsourcing exists for both products with an aesthetic focus and products with a functional innovation focus. By examining the role of product design newness, these findings help us to further understand the underlying mechanisms driving consumers to value crowdsourced products.