New product introduction: follower firm timing behaviour

A multidisciplinary perspective is taken to the analysis of data upon the follower firm timing behaviour of 99 'non-pioneering' firms introducing low-fat products into US food markets, encompassing extant approaches in marketing, economic and managerial literatures. The payoffs to followers are considered to be related to demand growth, the extent of competition, early mover advantages, firm characteristics, and risk and entry cost reductions. The propensity of firms to react to these potential payoffs is considered as involving four sequential stages and determined by organizational characteristics. The findings suggest: (i) follower firms vary in the rate at which they ultimately move through each and all of the stages identified; (ii) there is evidence that firm characteristics, time and previous entry (although not simply) impact upon the speed of market entry by firms reflecting the various influences on payoffs identified; and (iii) speeds of reaction are related to firms' abilities to internalize external market developments.