Diffusion (business)

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Diffusion is the process by which a new idea or new product is accepted by the market. The rate of diffusion is the speed with which the new idea spreads from one consumer to the next. Adoption (the reciprocal process as viewed from a consumer perspective rather than distributor) is similar to diffusion except that it deals with the psychological processes an individual goes through, rather than an aggregate market process.

Contents

Theories

There are several theories that purport to explain the mechanics of diffusion:

Rate

According to Everett M. Rogers, the rate of diffusion is influenced by:

Models

There are several types of diffusion rate models:

  1. Penetration models – use test market data to develop acceptance equations of expected sales volume as a function of time. Three examples of penetration models are:
    • Bass trial only model
    • Bass declining trial model
    • Fourt and Woodlock model
  2. Trial/Repeat models – number of repeat buyers is a function of the number of trial buyers.
  3. Deterministic models – assess number of buyers at various states of acceptance – later states are determined from calculations to previous states.
  4. Stochastic models – recognize that many elements of the diffusion process are unknown but explicitly incorporate probabilistic terms.

See also

Footnotes

  1. Schirtzinger (2022-03-30). "Crossing the Chasm Summary". High Tech Strategies. Retrieved 2022-07-20.

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