Which concept refers to customer-created solutions that signal unmet needs?

• A. Nonconsumption
• B. Work-Arounds
• C. Distinctiveness
• D. Peripheral Brands

Answer: (B)

Work-arounds happen when customers improvise fixes to get a job done because current offerings miss something they need. Seeing these self-made solutions signals unmet needs in the market, since people only create a workaround when the existing options don’t fully satisfy them. For example, someone might combine several tools or hack a process to accomplish a task that no single product handles well. This pattern highlights a real gap that a new product or feature could fill. The other ideas don’t capture this user-driven fixing behavior: nonconsumption is about people who aren’t being served at all, while distinctiveness and peripheral brands relate to brand aspects rather than how customers solve problems on their own.