About Costovation
Costovation is a practical system for lowering costs while delighting customers. The book distills three traits: breakthrough perspective, relentless focus, and blurring boundaries, and a 20-strategy playbook spanning product design, how you make, move, and sell, plus ecosystem partnerships. Case studies such as Planet Fitness, Benihana, Wayfair, Algramo, and Primark show how to simplify offers, run asset-light models, and turn operations into experiences customers value. Use this page to learn what Costovation is, when to use it, and how to apply it step-by-step, then connect it to your roadmap through our related services
What You'll Learn
The Three Traits of Costovation
The book outlines three defining characteristics shared by cost-innovative companies:
Breakthrough Perspective – Challenge assumptions and spot overlooked opportunities by asking, “What do customers really value?”
Relentless Focus – Double down on what matters most to customers and eliminate everything that doesn’t.
Blurring Boundaries – Break silos between design, operations, and marketing to make efficiency and delight work together.
The 20-Strategy Playbook
Discover twenty actionable strategies organized into five areas of innovation:
Product & Service Design – Simplify offerings without sacrificing appeal.
Production – Rethink how things are made for leaner operations.
Distribution – Adopt asset-light, direct-to-consumer, or digital-first models.
Sales & Experience – Turn operations into part of the customer experience.
Partnerships – Use ecosystems to share risk and reduce fixed costs.
3. Case Studies Across Industries
From Planet Fitness and Benihana to Wayfair, Primark, and Build-A-Bear, Costovation offers vivid examples of how leaders deliver better experiences at lower cost.
4. Practical Takeaways You Can Apply Today
Identify where your company’s “feature creep” hides profits.
Redesign customer journeys for simplicity and value.
Build innovation systems that scale efficiency across teams.
Innovate confidently—even during downturns.
free Resource
Download the Introductory Guide to Costovation
Focus on delivering exactly what customers want instead of chasing feature overload or costly differentiation.
Unlock new market opportunities by reframing industry assumptions and identifying hidden efficiencies across operations, delivery, and partnerships.
Build resilience against competition and economic shifts by combining affordability with delight, transforming constraint into a powerful innovation advantage.
table of contents
01
Part one: Introduction to Costovation
What Costovation Is and Why It Matters
02
Part two: Three traits of Cosotvation
Breakthrough Perspective
Relentless Focus: Zoom In!
Willingness to Blur Boundaries: Innovating Beneath the Surface
03
Part Three: Costovation strategy playbook
Twenty Strategies and Tactics
04
Part Four: The greater context
Diagnostic: Seven signs that yout industry is ripe for costovation
How costovation fits in with the rest of your strategy
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Costovation solves the dilemma of how to spend less and innovate more. The book's revolutionary approach broadens the definition of innovation beyond products to the business model itself. With costovation, you let go of assumptions, take a fresh look at the market, and relentlessly focus on what customers really want
Frequently Asked Questions
About The Authors
Stephen Wunker is the Managing Director of New Markets Advisors, a global consulting firm that develops growth strategies for innovators such as Meta and the Mayo Clinic. A pioneer in mobile marketing and payments, he led the development of one of the world's first smartphones. As a longtime collaborator with the late Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School's legendary scholar of business disruption, Stephen played a key role in refining and applying his theories of Disruptive Innovation and Jobs to be Done. He has worked across sectors to help large organizations identify major opportunities and move quickly, despite legacy systems or cultural resistance.
Jennifer Luo Law
Jennifer Luo Law leads women’s health initiatives on the Strategy and Venture team at Philips, where she advances innovation in maternal and infant health. Her work spans clinical and consumer solutions that close care gaps for underserved mothers and families. A member of the Massachusetts Maternal Health Task Force and March of Dimes Board, Jennifer has advised the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on maternal mental health. A former innovation consultant, Fulbright alumna, and award-winning author, she is recognized globally for her leadership in inclusive, purpose-driven healthcare innovation.
