subject: What Is Mass Customization? [print this page] Mass Customization is a popular word in the world of ecommerce but what exactly does it mean?
Mass Customization can mean anything from personalization to ecommerce configurators that tailor a purchase according to the client needs. Product configurators can aid the sales funnel as customers are presented with a wide range of choices, colours, styles and sizes. For example mass customization has been in a place for a number of years in the kitchen and bathroom industry. Specialised software that can be customized to place baths, kitchen units and sinks in a wide range of positions according to the customers house layout. This allows the customer to see the outcome of the remodel before actual purchase.
This process has now been taken to the field of ecommerce and on a big scale. With the growth of internet businesses customer are looking for a way to differentiate their site from their competitors. A website has been called a shop window to the customer, and with customer making their mind up in a period of just seven seconds, it is up to the website owner to capture the customer. One way to do this is in the field of personalization. Many ecommerce sites will now use configurators which bolt on to the ecommerce site allowing a wide range of choices to be given to the customer to customize their purchase. One benefit of this is that the customer can be upsold a wide range of additional products or services. For example the DIY store Wickes, may provide a range of handles, styles and colours of their doors, allow customer to see how a certain type of paint would look on their walls, or even offer recommendations on other products they may decide to buy.
One site that has really taken advantage of the power of customization is global ecommerce mammoths Amazon. They stock everything from books, cameras to laptops and other devices. But the purchasing model of Amazing shows how they have adopted the idea of mass customization. Purchasing the item and you are presented with a wide range of options including recommendations including other books by the same author, other books in the genre, batteries for electrical products, or even games and accessories for games consoles. They also offer interactive feature such as user reviews a now vital part of the buying cycle. This engages uses and adds trust to the item being bought.
The opportunities for online retailers to use the features of mass customization are endless. For example one of the bigger areas in customization is the field of guitar shops. The ability to customise your own guitar is very popular amongst artists looking to flex their own creative skills by designing their own guitar online. This process has also been used in cars, where users can configure the options bolted on to car purchases and see what their option would look like in the car before buying it.
The art of customization is already playing a big part in our lives and with technology advances this promises to be very exciting future.
