The days are long gone, when you could have your Ford in any colour you like, as long as it was black.
After the second world war, the marketers used to say “There is a customer in every individual”, then late last century this was changed to “There is an individual in every customer”.
Now there is an individualist in every individual. In order words, the customer now wants to design her own product – in order to be unique.
Some companies have already successfully adapted to this: -Take a look at designing your own t-shirt www.threadless.com – can you come up with something creative that is just you? If not, there are already many individual designs you can use for inspiration – facilitated by the website. But choosing a design, that somebody else made would defeat the purpose of being individual. However, from a business perspective, image your product catalogue evolving hour by hour. Well, it is still a T-shirt, I hear you say.
Then try to put your favourite colours on your new Nike shoes? Take a look at www.Nikeid.nike.com – you can even get your name printed on the heel, if your name is not longer than 8 characters. But this is still customer fit and not customer made – this you can have from www.herseycustomshoe.com.
Still not convinced that this is a trend that is here to stay? One of the world’s leading brands LEGO is not only convinced, they are positively encouraging the individualist in the future consumers – children. If in doubt, take a look at www.designbyme.lego.com.
What does that mean for your business, your strategy and your IT? All three must be agile, lean and robust. Only then will it be possible to adapt the production, provide efficient packaging and shipping, maintain flexibility in pricing and ensure profitability. Is your strategy ready for Made to Order?