Tradition Meets Technology: Can Mass Customization Succeed in China?

ABSTRACT This study examined Chinese consumers' responses toward mass customization of apparel. Mass customization, as a marketing approach, was developed in reaction to the increasingly individualized Western markets. This study tested consumers' value perception about apparel mass customization in the collectivistic Chinese market. Using an experimental design with Chinese respondents, we found that price and customization levels affect various aspects of perceived value that, in turn, affect behavioral intentions. The findings provide information needed for decision making about marketing strategies for companies that would like to implement mass customization in China.

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