Navigating innovation in sports apparel: a qualitative study of product developer experiences

Abstract

Purpose Sports apparel (SA) firms develop more utilitarian, comfortable and technologically advanced products relative to other apparel categories. The distinct priorities of SA products, particularly the emphasis on innovation, highlight the need to better understand the product development process that leads to innovative products in this context. The purpose of this research was to explore the shared experiences of product developers with innovation while employed at SA firms. Design/methodology/approach A phenomenological qualitative study was conducted, and in-depth interviews were completed and analyzed. Findings The product developers interviewed experienced mostly incremental innovations related to product innovation, process innovation, supply chain innovation or organizational innovation. Additionally, their degree of enthusiasm and level of problem-solving can be used to classify innovations they are involved in into four different types of innovations. Research limitations/implications In this research, only SA product developers were interviewed. The findings could vary if apparel product developers from different types of apparel firms were interviewed. The findings of this research can inform decisions made by SA firms seeking to pursue innovations. Originality/value This research provides new insights into the types of innovation and their impact during product development, as experienced and perceived by product developers at SA firms. This research demonstrates that SA product developers play a crucial role in robust incremental innovation processes. We propose that by investing in emerging digital technologies, applying a problem-solving approach and supporting enthusiasm for innovation, SA product developers can actualize impactful innovations.