When Value Depends on Others : Servitization in Indirect Channel Settings

Sammanfattning

This study investigates how systemic conditions for value realization in indirect channels shape a manufacturer’s servitization efforts. Through an abductive qualitative case study of a manufacturer of premium coffee brewers with IoT functionality, the study analyzes how value emerges in the customer’s use context and how this process is influenced by customer-facing intermediaries such as distributors, roasteries, and specialty coffee roasteries. The findings show that value is not realized through the machine itself, but through the interaction between equipment, coffee, water, operator competence, service, calibration, and local customer conditions. Distributors and roasteries therefore play a central role through their proximity to customers, contextual knowledge, and supporting activities. At the same time, this creates a dependency for the manufacturer, as customer relationships, service infrastructure, and practical value realization are often mediated by customer-facing actors outside the manufacturer’s direct control. The study thereby shows that servitization in indirect channels is not only a matter of developing new service offerings, but also of understanding and influencing the distribution networks that enable the offering to create value in practice.