Mass customisation. Stimulating the knowledgeable market

Mass customisation gives consumers the freedom to purchase individualised or tailored products. It allows suppliers the freedom to reap the benefits of the economies of scale while retaining the flexibility to provide what the consumer wants. Business benefits of mass customisation delivered to date include allowing retailers to convey a message that they recognise the individual needs of customers. Consumers benefit from having high quality components tailored to their own personal tastes. However, appropriate information systems and technologies must be put into place in order for a company to be able to mass customise affordably. This paper will look at how adopting the mass customisation approach to customer satisfaction will effect the marketing "stance" of organisations, their approach to customer loyalty and their need for information in the movement of goods. Finally, it will examine a few of the emerging technologies that can help companies customise to meet customer requirements.