Product/Service-System Origins and Trajectories: A Systematic Literature Review of PSS Definitions and their Characteristics

Literature provides multiple definitions on Product/Service-Systems (PSS), and as the field develops, certain trajectories emerge. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the stabilization of PSS definitions within PSS research, by presenting the most prominent PSS definitions and their interrelationships. As the result of a strict protocol, the paper identifies 52 prominent definitions related to PSS, where the citation relations between the prominent definitions arestudied and graphically illustrated. The definitions are furthermore analyzed to identify common PSS definition characteristics and eleven different characteristics identified. Descriptive analysis is carried out on the identified PSS definition characteristics, to determine commonalties and differences in the field. Even though the literature provides many different variations of PSS definitions, there is certain convergence regarding key characteristics of PSS, including Product and Services as well as Customer Needs.