Journal article
Coherence within and across Categories: The Dynamic Viability of Product Categories on Kickstarter
Academy of Management journal, v 67(1), pp 61-91
01 Feb 2024
Abstract
How does the viability of a product category shift over time? Studies abound on how categories emerge and become established, or fall out of use. Yet, extant research has often examined the evolution of categories one at a time, leaving open the question of how related categories affect a focal category's viability. In contrast, we consider both intraand inter-category dynamics. Viewing categories as continuously shaped by actors' efforts to position their products, we argue that these efforts alter the coherence that products exhibit not only within a category (a category's heterogeneity), but also across related categories (a category's distinctiveness). We theorize how the interaction between a category's heterogeneity and distinctiveness shapes its subsequent viability. When a focal category's distinctiveness is low, the heterogeneity-viability relationship takes an inverted U-shape. However, as distinctiveness grows, the relationship flattens and eventually flips to a U-shape. We explain this by considering the trade-off between the "classification" and "valuation" benefits that a category affords. We find support for our argument by tracking 170 categories over an 11-year period on Kickstarter, one of the largest crowdfunding platforms. By providing a nuanced understanding of category dynamics, we shed new light onto the fluctuating viability of categories.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- Coherence within and across Categories: The Dynamic Viability of Product Categories on Kickstarter
- Creators
- Jean-francois Soubliere - HEC MontréalJade Y. Lo - Drexel UniversityEunice Y. Rhee - Seattle University
- Publication Details
- Academy of Management journal, v 67(1), pp 61-91
- Publisher
- Acad Management
- Number of pages
- 31
- Grant note
- 2022-NP-296621 / Fonds de recherche du Quebec-Societe et culture
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Management
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001184621500005
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85189031826
- Other Identifier
- 991021881512004721
InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Business
- Management