While it's been over forty years since Bob Dylan first uttered the now famous words, they have never been more relevant than they are today. In this new "digital age," as people often refer to it, we are given more freedom than ever before. With successful superstores such as Wal-Mart and Target, it is clear that our society has effectively conquered and moved past the idea of mass production and consumption. While the above stores are able to offer low prices, they do so at the expense of uniformity. However, our society has moved past that idea. Like Dylan said, "The times, they are a-changin.'" Enter: Mass customization
Thanks to the internet, there is hardly anything that can't be obtained through the click of a mouse. However, many companies have decided to take their online shops one step further by allowing us to customize our purchases. If you've ever ordered a Dell computer, or been fortunate enough to buy a new Lexus, it is clear that mass customization is saturating our marketplace one industry at a time.
What does this mean for us? It means choices, thousands of them. In economic times such as ours, this idea of mass customization is even more appealing than ever. As we as a society become a little bit, shall I say...stingy, it has become increasingly hard for companies to get us to open up our wallets. This idea of customization has slowly helped us to do so by allowing us to purchase what we want, how we want it. Mass customization helps companies to satisfy our individual needs. With hundreds of customizable products, we are given more power over what we buy than ever. Even more, by putting the consumer at the hub of creation and design, it builds a foundation for a potentially very healthy relationship between brand and consumer, thus helping to strengthen brand loyalty. In a marketplace such as ours, there is nothing more important than that.
Two key competitors in the athletic shoe market, Nike and Puma, each utilize a mass customization approach within an engaging digital atmosphere. Both of these sites put the consumer in control, giving us as much or as little creative freedom as we would like. Logging onto the Nike website, it was sleek and easy to maneuver. I immediately saw the link for NikeiD and clicked on it to begin my first ever attempt at designing. While waiting for the website to load I encountered their first problem. In order t get the consumer to make a purchase, you need to make the process easy and enjoyable. No one likes slow websites, and I must admit that had I not been directed to design a shoe for class, I probably would have logged off long before the page finally loaded. Ten frustrating minutes later, I was able to begin my shoe design journey. While i know that Nike knows more than I about creating an aesthetically appealing pair of sneakers, I will not deny that the freedom to choose my own colors and textures was exhilarating. Thirty minutes and four attempts later, I came up with this:
After all the hard work, did I really have a choice? I got out my credit card and have been anxiously awaiting their arrival ever since. According to Nike, I'll be waiting for four weeks. Considering all the work put into the project, the wait doesn't seem too unreasonable to me.
Next, I entered the kitchen of Mongolian BBQ to test out the puma design center. Upon first glance, one would not think the website had anything to do with Puma, but rather, was designed for a trendy Mongolian restaurant. While the website has the potential to be misleading and confusing, Puma maintains a consistent theme that has just the right amount of quirkiness to keep consumers interested. The theme was engaging, and the website was certainly more user friendly. Again, I had fun playing around with colors and design, yet this time was even more enjoyable, as the website was drastically faster. Take a look at what I came up with in the kitchen:
This shoe may be the next big addition to my closet. After purchasing my NikeiD, I need to put these on hold for now. Lucky for me, Puma let me save my design for use in the future.
After playing around with two prime examples of customization, I do believe that more companies will jump onto the customization bandwagon. The benefits to consumers are undeniable. Putting the consumer in control allows the customers to have more say in their purchases than ever and helps to solve the problem of uniformity. While my new Nikes are already being processed, I must admit that I found the Puma site to be more engaging and user friendly. Both sites put me, the consumer, in control and provide thousands of options. In today's marketplace, customization is beneficial and almost necessary to capture and maintain a client. "The times, they are a-changin," and mass customization is fueling this change.
