What drives the customer of world's largest market to participate in value co-creation?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the drivers of customer participation for value co-creation among bottom of the pyramid (BOP) customers. In addition, the difference, if exists, between the perception of customer and marketers belongs to this segment about the drivers of customer participation is also studied. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative study has been conducted to investigate the drivers of customer participation for value co-creation in BOP market. Data collection are done through in-depth interviews from BOP customers and marketers. Spearman rank correlation is used to find out the relationship between the BOP customers and marketers responses. Findings – The findings enrich understanding of value co-creation in the BOP market by suggesting the various drivers that instigate BOP consumers to participate in value co-creation activities. The study also shows a strong relationship between the customers and marketers perspective on what drives BOP customers to participate in value co-creation. Research limitations/implications – The study is conducted qualitatively hence results cannot be generalized. The sample used for data collection is limited to one state of India. Practical implications – Twenty-seven factors are identified that an organization can leverage or develop to successfully practice value co-creation in the BOP markets. Originality\value – The paper provides a comprehensive view to help organizations manage value co-creation through customer participation in BOP market. According to author's knowledge, no prior study in BOP as well as on value co-creation literature discusses empirically the drivers of customer participation in value co-creation.