Challenges and opportunities of new product co-creation with older consumers

Co-creation of new products is a form of participatory research, involving consumers and companies that jointly develop and evaluate ideas for product innovations. This approach is popular in multiple industries but usually implemented with younger consumers, often via online platforms, while the creativity of older adults remains a largely untapped resource. The chapter leverages the experiences of the EIT Food RIS Consumer Engagement Labs project, where groups of older adults participated in new food co-creation processes in 14 European countries. The chapter focuses on practical challenges related to participatory research involving older adults, based on lessons learned from this large-scale project.