Several companies (e.g. Microsoft, HP, Procter & Gamble, Volvo, Samsung, and Peugot) have established online or virtual product communities, virtual product prototyping and testing centers, and other virtual product forums -- which I collectively refer to here as Virtual Customer Environments (VCEs) -- to facilitate rich interactions between customers and firms as well as among customers themselves, and to involve customers in varied value creation activities ranging from the design and development of new products to product testing and customer support.
