Mass Customization? I'll pass.
Industrialization and mass production led to a breach of the manufacturer's and customer's relationship. Prior to that, customers were being approached individually. These values are being reestablished with assets-savvy technology which is preparing the foundation for individually costumed products. Customers had become more sophisticated and more educated about their personal needs, and with greater purchasing power they demand a higher quality of products and service.
According to that, there is a rising marketing strategy called ‘mass customization’, which aims to cater the individual customer’s needs with customized products at a cost near that of mass production. Mass customization is a highly responsive new tool for consumers, manufacturers and retailers, and if applied correctly, it can be a win-win strategy for all parties.
Customers are buying in comfortability of their home obtaining a higher level of fit, satisfying shopping experience is increased which generates higher loyalty rate towards a particular brand.
On the other hand, in the fashion industry there are many cost and time consuming processes, and this is eliminated by the use of mass customization. This refers to errors in sale forecasting, storage problem, excessive production and pollution rate. Some negative aspects of it might include complex data gathering, expensive technology and facing customer with wide range of choice might be confusing and overwhelming.
In order to deal with market uncertainty and demand, mass customization has become standard combined with quick responsiveness, and it is used everywhere, from high street to ready-to-wear fashion labels.
Having costumer in center of product developing and not somewhere on periphery, shopping behavior is bound to change along with distribution process. All market participants: customer-manufacturer-retailer will have full interaction with each other.
Information management - gathering and processing, is the key for implementing the strategy successfully. Providing vital information about prospective customer, tracking his measurements, style preferences and personal data ensures a tailor made response, a customized offer, in various design options made to fit tastes and needs. Many companies have already tried to master fashion customization field, but rates of success are still quite low. For now, mass customization seems to be most vivid in footwear industry.
Successful example of mass customization tool is Nike’s famous program known as NIKEiD implemented early in 2012. It involves customers in designing stage by offering them opportunity to choose elements of the item, such as fabric, color, sleeve style, embellishment, trim, logos etc. One can also ask for private help from NIKEiD trained design consultants. Overall experience is unique, offering a sense of being in charge of ‘’your’’ product, with emphasis on possessive pronoun. Seeing personal monogram on your product, for example, makes an item psychologically more attractive.
Image source: http://eye-tea-em.blogspot.com
NIKEiD: one of the first implemented strategy of mass customization
Australian-based company Shoes of Prey has similar approach and has reached an international success by offering customers wide range of material, color and style choice. With the preview of the 3D model of your dream shoe, shopping experience is pretty amusing process.
Image source: shoesofpray.com
Shoes of Prey - playing with customization tool might get a bit out of control
Volumental is a visionary Swedish company. They are enthusiastic about revolution in footwear industry that provides customers with perfectly fitted product, as well as about technologies they use to manage this - overhyped AI and 3D scanning.
And while some are using expensive technology to manage all this, New York-based shoe start-up True Gault uses technology that is quite available to broader audience. You do not have to go directly to them for foot scanning, all you need is your iPhone camera to take 3D measurements of a foot, and you need to enter some measurements into their application. A "bespoke pair of heels" is delivered to your home within a couple of weeks. Shoes are handmade using quality fabrics and prices are fair. They are appreciated by customers on their perfect fit on each foot.
Image source: truegault.com
True Gault offers affordable luxury using a simplified process
Allegedly mass customization is a strategy that is increasing efficiency in supply chain and purchasing, and as a consequence can contribute to a more sustainable future...
For me, this practice seems more like a marketing trickery, and I think there is no such thing as a mass customization, just like there’s no such thing as an affordable luxury.