Buzzword: Prosumer

Buzzword: Prosumer

What does it mean? Prosumer is two words melded into one, like brunch, guesstimate, and smog. Which two words make up the term is open to interpretation. Alvin Toffler coined prosumer in his classic 1980 treatise The Third Wave. Toffler’s prosumer combined “producer” and “consumer” and referred to individuals who design the products they purchase. More recently, however, prosumer has morphed into a portmanteau of “professional” and “consumer,” indicating people who are amateurs in a given field but who covet professional-grade equipment.

Why the buzz? The professional + consumer iteration is moving mainstream, thanks in part to manufacturers who are offering prosumer lines—if not in name, than tacitly—aimed at consumers who want pro-style gear. Pro ranges, for example, were developed in part for foodies who want to cook like a restaurant chef—or at least get the look of a pro kitchen—in their own kitchens. The digital arena is busier than ever with prosumer traffic, whether in camcorders, cameras, or PDAs. The lawn-care industry is getting in on the act, as a colleague noted in this blog on the 2007 Green Industry and Equipment Expo, held recently in Louisville, Kentucky. The floor at the show was buzzing with zero-turn radius mowers, four-wheel drive tractors, and other equipment you used to see only on the back of a landscaper’s truck.

Inside the home, several product categories lend themselves to prosumerism. Vacuum cleaners, for example, have gone semipro, driven by high-end, and often high-priced, brands like Dyson and Kirby. For the serious coffee drinker, manufacturers offer café-style espresso machines. Then there’s the power-tool market, which includes products geared toward consumers who fall between a weekend warrior and master carpenter.

It remains to be seen is if prosumer will become just another way to move merchandise. For example, a Web search of “prosumer snow thrower” results in several e-commerce listings for the “Ariens Prosumer Two-Stage Snow Thrower.” But there’s no such model on Ariens’ official Web site. When I contacted the company, a representative told me the machine in question is from Ariens’ Deluxe line and that he has no idea why the “prosumer” tag is being applied to it by some retailers.

To keep yourself from becoming a new breed of prosumer, one who combines “programmed” and “consumer” and buys products just because of their pro-style appeal, use the expert advice in our buying guides and Ratings before you make any major purchases.—Daniel DiClerico