Mass Customization – Trend or Niche Market?

Lately I found a poll in the German mass customization magazine egoo.de asking whether mass customization is just a niche market or rather a big trend.

Here is the outcome (so far, still running)

What do you think? Big trend or small niche market?

You can participate in the poll in the original post on internetworld.de

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On GlobeCorp i stumbled over another article asking a similar question: Mass Customization, business model of the future?

At the beginning of the month Frank Piller ensured that mass customization has a great future altough it’s still not more than a niche so far:

The market for mass customization still is a tiny niche, but growing rapidly. Confirming the research we recently finalized for our SERVIVE project (an EU funded project on mass customization or apparel), the Spreadshirters confirmed our assumption that customized products are still addressing a very small fraction of the market only. The core task today is to educate the market, not so much surprising it with ever new offerings. Most consumers just have never heard about the opportunity that there is something else then ready-made stuff on the shelves. Sounds strange to you when you are reading this blog and this lengthy posting until here, but these people exist. And they are the majority!”

  • Mass customization is definitely the way into the future. Actually, it also is a return to the past practice of customized production for individual consumption. In this respect mass-production was the exception that is superseded by the natural state of customization.

    What are actual drivers and reasons for more mass customization:
    _ Customer demand - customization drives consumer needs (Starbucks)
    _ Differentiation - competitive advantages for customizers (DELL)
    _ Lean Production - can have any color, fit and function for your car (BMW)
    _ Technical progress - IT and databases support detailed CRM (Marriott)
    _ Social approval - "one of a kind" to stand out from the masses (Nike personal)
    _ Affordability - falling costs of customization through modern production methods

    Overall, not only will we see much more examples of mass customization in the future; more than that mass customization will be one of the growth drivers of saturated markets.

  • Hi Andy!

    Thanks for that great overview on the different value drivers and reasons of mass customization
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