Customization is a response to a world where everyone wants it to be the way they want it to be. One in three consumers wants a product to be customized and will look for one when shopping. Burger? Ok, but no onion and tomato. It is not possible? Okay, you just lost a client. But can everything be adapted to the individual preferences of consumers? And maybe it is still on a massive scale? Let's check.
Customization is marketing strategywhich receives more and more attention. It assumes that customized products provide customers with greater benefits than standard products. The latter are not as well suited to their preferences. The condition for successful customization is the ability to obtain precise information about what customers actually want. But are they able to precisely define their preferences themselves? It turns out that it is.
Is it worth taking into account the individual preferences of consumers?
Check what to do to increase sales.
Customization - definition
Product customization is certainly not new to the market. However, only recently more and more companies include it in their offer. This is best explained with a specific example. Imagine such a scenario. Your car is in the repair shop, so you are waiting at the bus stop. You have an important meeting in half an hour. The bus is late. At some point you know you can't wait any longer if you don't want to be late. When looking for a solution, you see a car for minutes in a nearby parking lot. You make a decision immediately. You take the wheel. You spend a few moments adjusting the seat and steering wheel. You click on the radio to find your preferred station. You turn up the air conditioning. This is customization.
If this were your own car, things would be different, right? You sit down, start the engine and your vehicle instantly adjusts the height of the seat and handlebar to your comfort. The radio starts playing your favorite album and the air conditioning immediately starts chilling the air to a pleasant 20 degrees - just the way you like it. This is personalization. The main difference between the two is who makes the changes. Sounds complicated? Let's take a closer look at it.
Customization it's not the same as personalization
Although the English Dictionary treats customization and personalization synonymously, in fact the two terms refer to different things and should not be used interchangeably. They do have a common denominator - their intentions coincide. Both tactics are also used as sales support. However, there is a huge difference in how they are initiated.
First, let's explain what personalization is. Well, this activity focuses on the idea of adapting the user experience to his needs. It is the use of collected data on users, research, etc. Public relations, various marketing tools are used to directly interest the ideal user. Personalization increases the "relevance" of identifying a potential customer and thus increases conversion rates.
So what is customization? It is about what the consumer can do himself. This is the extent to which the customer can adapt a product or service to his preferences, exercising control over his own experience. By offering this option to customers, the company can increase their happiness and commitment. Ideally, it should be able to efficiently mass-produce products that meet the needs of individual consumers. By offering them the opportunity to be unique. Users of certain car brands have such a chance. The basic model can be adapted to your expectations with various functions, for example by adding GPS to the equipment, choosing the color of the paint, the style of the wheels, etc. All at the discretion of the buyer. It is worth following for this consumer trends.
Is this strategy for everyone?
Costs are a common reason why many companies hesitate to adapt their products to an individual customer. There is no doubt that it is much cheaper to order wholesale delivery of a single color product. No need to engrave initials or guess how many lime smartphone powerbanks will be purchased in the next quarter. But if you decide that customization is a strategy worth implementing, don't hesitate - order lime power banks. You can of course price them more expensive.
Are you afraid they won't buy? No worries. A consumer review by Deloitte shows that 1 in 5 consumers are willing to pay 20% more for a customized or exclusive product. If you assume that only a narrow one is interested in it target group - representing the younger generation, you are wrong.
Research shows, for example, that people aged 55 and over are actually more likely to buy tailor-made holidays than those aged 16-24. Customization offers something unique for customers of all ages. Moreover, the 46% of them declares that they will be happy to wait longer to receive this type of product or service.
Word of mouth marketing and increased customer satisfaction
People tend to notice something that is different. Customization definitely makes the product stand out. There is a company that allows customers to "create" their hand luggage online. They can choose the size, color, material, number of circles and have their initials printed anywhere on the luggage. Well, they can also choose the colors of the letters and the colors of the shadows of the letters. Does anyone use this? Definitely! What's more, the company's customers are stopped at the airports and on trains by other people who ask where they got the suitcase from.
Not everyone wants the same thing. The ability to customize a product to meet individual requirements inevitably increases customer satisfaction. When you receive your product, hand-embroidered or engraved, with your initials in your favorite color and size, you feel that it is a product unlike any other. Unique. Product customization can therefore also lead to increased brand loyalty. Customization gives customers a lot of satisfaction because they can "do" many things themselves - choose a color, font, etc. Whenever a company is able to offer such an option to its customers, it also offers them the opportunity to be unique.
Customization on a massive scale
Customization has benefited from digitization. The Internet has created many opportunities for customizing products on a massive scale. It also made it possible for companies to be in constant interaction with their customers, in fact, in real time. Many companies use the Internet to create personalized e-mail messages. There is also an increasing number of companies that are taking advantage of online tools to enable customers to design their own products.
Customization is becoming more and more common. Automotive concerns enable customers to design their cars. Fashion companies give customers the option of sending their own graphics or words to be printed on shirts, jackets, etc. Manufacturers of sports footwear allow you to create exactly the shoe you want.
Today, we can even customize our vitamins based on our own requirements and daily requirements. Are these not enough reasons why all customers love customization?