Perspective: The Emergence of Product Design as a Field of Marketing Inquiry*

The authors present findings from an analysis of articles related to product design published in eight leading journals important to marketing thought. Based on this analysis, which covers the fourteen-year period 1995-2008, the authors propose a conceptual model of product design and offer definitions for (a) product design and (b) the product design process. In addition, the authors provide insights into the nature of product design research during this time period, including analyses of publication trends and the relationship of product design research to related marketing topics. The essay concludes with suggestions for future research on product design.