Custom made goods are becoming more popular every day. People find a lot of joy and meaning when they are able to make their good unique and stand out from everyone else. When it comes to customization many things can go wrong. It is very important to keep attention to detail and what the customer wants.
Mass Customization focuses on:
Imaginative and fast product design
Rapid process design
Tightly controlled inventory management
Tight Schedules
Responsive supply chain partners
While looking at the NFL website. I decided to see what their process of custom made NFL Jerseys is.
There are a ton of different choices. First, you start off with the NFL team that your jersey will represent. Pretty basic step of the customization process, however, the next steps become more complicated.
At this point of the process, the customer starts paying more attention to detail such as:
Color
Size
Design
Unique Name
# of the Jersey
Make of the Jersey
At this point the customer is responsible for the spelling and other details. One key thing to keep in mind when it comes to customization, if something is misspelled or done incorrectly, the products value will drop dramatically. No one else will want someone’s personal Jersey. It has no sentimental value to them.
NFL shop offers Jersey to everyone, kids, adults, men and women. Their customization process and facility must be operating and functional to perfection. NFL Jerseys do not come cheap. A basic Jersey with no customization can start at $100 and after full customization you might end up with a shopping cart of $400.
There isn’t much of repetition in this process. The letters and numbers are the most changing variable here.
My number one question was pertaining their return policy. At first it was very basic just like any online clothing store, however, they had a exception link to click on to review their entire return policy. It read the following:
“All sales are final for customized products and autographed collectibles. These items cannot be returned. If an error occurred in your order process or packaging, please contact a Customer Service Specialist at 1.877.NFL.SHOP (1-877-635-7467).” NFL.com
With any product custom made and built, you will see the same return policy. This is the only downfall of the entire customization process. If you do not like what you have personalized, well too bad, you are paying for it anyway.
Do you think Mass customizations is better for the consumers or the firms? Do you think mass customization is worth the extra money?
I think the customization factor makes the customer feel special and like they are getting something specially made for them (or as a gift for another person). I’m not sure about sports jerseys, because technically you buy a jersey to represent the player you support…not yourself, but I know for other things such as jewlery or bags that you can get monnogramed (typically for women) this is an added touch. I have a few things that I got monnogramed, and these products mean a lot more than me than something that I can just go to the store and buy right off the shelf, knowing that a million other people can go and buy the same thing. I think for some products it is worth the extra money.
I agree with the comment above. If a company offers customization to their products I feel they shouldn’t invest as much compared to their regular products. For example, say if a certain team will be the super bowl their jerseys will become more popular. So, if they charge more on the customized product consumers will be willing to spend that extra money compared to other consumers who are fans of other teams.
I think both the firm and the customer both benefit from mass customization. Some things are good to personalize such as mugs or t-shirts or hats. I believe they make for great gifts! However, sticking to your example, I don’t like the idea of customizing a jersey. I think that team jerseys are meant to sport the team and its players. The value of the product is in the name and number as well as team name on it.
I think that both the consumer and the firm benefit from mass customization. A customization is an option for the consumer, as well as way to make extra money for the firm, which makes both sides happy. While something customized by the consumer cost a little more than something that is very generic and simple, it is definitely worth the money, because it gives the customized item some meaning and sentimental value. Without meaning the item might not be worth as much to the person, therefore people are always in search of something special and customization only helps them make any item that they choose special.
Kevin, what an ideal example of a custom made product, especially with the football season right around the corner. I like how you included the fine print about returns. I think this is the biggest downfall of mass customization. Since you designed it, it would only make you happy then why should the producer pay the fee of something you did not like at the end.
Nike has employed a very similar process with their new NikeID line. It allows customers to go online and design the shoe they want starting with the blank slate of their most popular running shoe. It benefits both the customer and Nike, but the retailers are the ones getting screwed. If you have the choice to buy a shoe in a store that is pre-made or go online and make the shoe exactly how you want with your name printed on it for nearly the same price, I feel more would choose the customizable option. The worst part is people will use the retailers to try on the shoe in store and buy it online. Do these companies want offend their retailers?