ESTIMATING THE DEGREE OF NOVELTY OF A NEW PRODUCT: INNOVATIVE APPROACH.

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issue definition of the structure and degree of novelty of the product in accordance with the classification of novelty in terms of its functional orientation. The main purpose of the research is to develop its own methodology for assessing the degree of novelty of a new product, as a quantitative characteristic, on the basis of comparison with the analogue product. To construct a methodology, it is important to prioritize the scale of the novelty of a product: a regional, national or global market. The determination of the required scale of novelty depends on the choice of the main analogue product and the choice of the consumer group. Systematization literary sources and approaches for solving the problem of determining the level of novelty of goods indicates that there is no universal method for assessing the degree of its novelty. The relevance of the decision of this scientific problem is to assess the degree of novelty of the product because in reality the market is saturated with pseudo-new products. The concept of novelty is relative and does not have clearly defined requirements. Investigation of the topic of quantitative evaluation of the novelty of a product in the paper is carried out in the logical sequence. The essence and structure of novelty are determined, the level of novelty is estimated for each species and as a result, the total integral indicator is derived. Methodological tools of the research methods are mathematical methods of action with matrices and methods for analysing the hierarchies of pairwise comparisons proposed by Thomas L. Saaty. Comparison of indicators according to different criteria is carried out on a nine-point scale. Integral indicator of the level of novelty of a new product is calculated as the average geometric indices of production, market and consumer novelty. Determining the level of novelty of a new product is carried out on a scale from 0 to 1, which allows to determine the novelty, both for each type of novelty and for the general level. An empirical study has been conducted to determine the validity of this method of determining level of novelty of a new product. The results of the research can be useful for the assessment of the enterprises of their new products and as a component of the assessment of the innovation activity of enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]