Threadless: Crowdsourcing and Online Communities

In what other industries or areas would Threadless’ community-driven product development model work well? And not so well?

Threadless' community-driven product product development model is a good idea, but it is one that needs to be carefully applied in order for a business to realize any sort of success as a result. The apparel industry is obviously an area where this type of model has a chance to prove successful as there exist a myriad of different styles and looks that appeal to wide-range of individuals with varying tastes. Other similar industries such as shoes, bags, hats, or other clothing accessories, or even other products in which the inventory costs are relatively low could also reap the benefits of allowing the community to vote on individual designs that are all applied to basically the type of "canvas". The key to keeping this approach a viable one is to allow the community to feel that their creativeness has a true outlet. For this reason, I do not believe the Threadless product development model would work for situations where a customizable "canvas" is not the basis of the product. I also do not think the individual contributors to Threadless' products would feel about them venturing into retail stores.