The Limits of Mass Customization
Is mass customization really the best way to deliver variety to consumers? Managers understand how critical variety is to adding value to their product offerings. And mass customization has been touted as the premier way of achieving that goal. But there are several ways to deliver variety, and mass customization may not always be the best.
Mass customization is the capability, realized by a few companies, to offer individually tailored products or services on a large scale. Levi Strauss, for instance, sells custom-fitted jeans. Andersen Windows can build a window to fit any house. Consumers can get their names printed or sewn or embossed on just about anything. And personalized information services for everything from financial planning to travel guidance proliferate on the Web.
The phrase “mass customization” is striking, for it seems a contradiction in terms. Mass production implies uniform products, whereas customization connotes small-scale crafts. (See “Mass Customization vs. Mass Production.”) Combining the best of both promises exciting choices for consumers and new opportunities for businesses.
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1. Even those conditions are not sufficient for success. Reichwald et al. discuss the demise of Custom Foot, whose business model seemed promising. See R. Reichwald, F. Piller and K. Möslein, “Information as a Critical Success Factor for Mass Customization, or Why Even a Customized Shoe Does Not Always Fit” (paper presented at ASAC-IFSAM Conference, Montréal, July 10, 2000).
2. For an alternative depiction of mass customization, ibid.
