November 2011
1 post
5 tags
October 2011
2 posts
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How much revenue can you make with mass...
Mass Customization is a steadily growing trend with more and more companies offering personalized or customized products. But how big is this opportunity really?
After hearing that Spreadshirt nearly doubled its US revenue this year, I decided to do a bit of research to see how much money really is in this market. A lot of customization companies are startups and don’t disclose their...
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Customized Ice Cream in 55 Seconds
I recently visited in Chicago, and my friends, knowing that I’m all about mass customization, took me to see iCream, a customized ice cream shop. Unfortunately it was already closed, but I was able to take some pictures and the website is super informative - if you want to learn more, watch the Food Network video they have posted on their home page.
iCream is fascinating because so far,...
August 2011
6 posts
3 tags
Mashable: Coke Lets You Create Your Own Drink on... →
Awesome to see another big company push their customization efforts. Coca-Cola invested 100 million into customization last year. Although I’m not convinced about the product yet - which sodas could I possibly want to mix to get something tasty?
(Image from Mashable, see link)
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Ralph Lauren Promotes Design-Your-Own Collection...
Ralph Lauren has offered custom polo shirts for a while now, but they launched the “Design Your Own Collection” in one of the largest department stores in Europe (the prestigious KaDeWe in Berlin) with a huge show. The show in itself isn’t directly related to customized products, in fact it is a refitted 4D video mapping show Ralph Lauren has used in New York and London...
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Go to the Mass Customization Conference!
The next mass customization conference, MCPC 2011, is rapidly approaching - it is scheduled for November 16-19 in San Francisco (official info here).
The motto of the conference is “Bridging Mass Customization and Open Innovation”, and as always, it is organized by Professor Piller and his fellow scholars.
The conference will be a great opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs and...
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Building Houses and Mass Customization
As you know, I’ve been wondering a lot why mass customization is so much bigger in Germany than in the US, and my blog post (see link) tries to answer that question. Recently, another idea came to my head: Could it be that Germans are culturally more interested in creating their own?
What brought this idea to mind was that I had noticed for quite a while now that Americans and Germans have...
July 2011
4 posts
1 tag
An amazing argument for personalized clothing: →
inkdot:
This weekend I was told a story which, although I’m kind of ashamed to admit it, because holy shit is it ever obvious, is kind of blowing my mind.
A friend of a friend won a free consultation with Clinton Kelly of What Not To Wear, and she was very excited, because she has a plus-size body, and…
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Job Opportunity: Marketing Manager for...
… had to take this down because they’re in “stealth mode”. Sorry. Email me (carmen.magar at gmail) or Dave Sloan if you’re looking for a job in the mass customization world!
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Watch2 Questions for Peter Weijmarshausen from Shapeways.
Shapeways recently moved to New York from the Netherlands to build their marketplace of 3D printed objects. Just as Makerbot is revolutionizing 3D printing by making the printers themselves more accessible, Shapeways is really groundbreaking in allowing normal people like you and me to design something and have it printed by them. I met with...
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“Home-based shopping will permit consumers to control manufacturing directly,...”
– An article in the New York Times from 1982, titled: “Study Says Technology Could Transform Society” about this time when every home might have a two-way videotex (computer terminal with internet connection), predicting mass customization.
Pretty cool.
June 2011
6 posts
5 tags
Recommendation Engines: 5 Lessons from Pandora,...
I went to SXSW this year but happened to miss a really cool panel on Recommendation Engines. Luckily, it was recorded here. I figure that most of you have companies that allow for an endless number of combinations, so I think that some of the lessons from this panel might be interesting to you, too.
What I had in mind when I took notes from the recording is that MyCereal.com, before it shut down,...
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[INSPIRATION] Cool Design-Your-Own Websites in... →
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WatchA video produced to raise awareness for mass customization. It showcases Fashion customizers and customers. Great work!
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Blackberry Commercial Showcases Converse...
Mass Customization shows up in more and more commercials (e.g. Harley Davidson). Today, I saw a commercial by Blackberry, advertising their tablet that runs flash. With the words “you get the best of the internet” in the background, it shows someone creating their own sneakers on the Converse website.
Link to the full video.
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This Week is Custom Week! Celebrate on... →
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Definition: Customization
This is part of my series of blog posts where I define common terms that are related with mass customization. Also see the definitions for mass-customization, co-creation and design your own/ create your own.
Customization is probably the most general term of all of these. It means to adjust an item to comply with your individual specifications. Here are some ideas how that could happen:
...
May 2011
6 posts
5 tags
Definition: Design Your Own/ Create Your Own
This is part of my series of blog posts where I define common terms that are related with mass customization. Also see the definitions for mass-customization and co-creation.
This is pretty straight forward. “Design Your Own” and “Create Your Own” is a subset of mass customization. On a “design/create your own” website, you can use a configurator to specify...
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Participate in Custom Week 2011!
Customizers!
You should all consider participating in Custom Week 2011, a weeklong event June 6- 13. You probably already received an invitation, if not, check out http://www.customweek.com for more info.
There will be sweepstakes, and lots of fun stuff that will draw in many people who are interested in designing their own products - from necklaces to mattresses.
Custom Week 2011 is...
NYT Writer is Disappointed by Customized Apparel
Jon Tang from the newly launch Vastrm (customized polo shirts) recently posted a link to a New York Times article on customized clothing in the Mass Customization Group on LinkedIn. Here’s the link to the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/fashion/on-the-web-design-your-own-clothes.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&ref=todayspaper
In it, the author Stephanie Rosenbloom tests three...
Create Your Own Sonic Commercial →
(starts in 6 days)
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Forrester's Recommendations to Future Mass...
This is a continuation of my blog post summarizing the Forrester Report on Mass Customization.
The recent report on Mass Customization by Forrester’s J.P. Gownder gives companies considering to enter the mass customization space some valid recommendations. To start with, it repeats the advice by Prof. Piller to be careful when designing the solution space. The report compares it to the work...
April 2011
5 posts
CYO 2011 →
The agenda for the Create Your Own conference in Berlin is out!
There’s a showcase exhibition, an update on the Mass Customization 500 Report, and a lot of awesome sessions. Will you be there?
“The trend towards personalization and mass customization has flipped...”
– An article about an old and traditional textile company, Lion Brothers, considering mass customization. Found via the awesome @AnitaWindisman
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Forrester Research Predicts Mass Customization as...
Last Month, Forrester Research released an informative and well researched report on Mass Customization. In it, they write that “after a variety of false starts, its time has finally come”.
In the following and in upcoming blog post, I will summarize the report. However, if you are serious about this topic, I advise you to consider purchasing the Forrester Report directly...
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“Two custom style brands announced expansion plans today, indicating that mass...”
– http://www.businessinsider.com/the-startups-doing-big-business-making-luxury-ecommerce-personal-2011-3 from March 25, 2011
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“A new kid on the block! Vastrm (pronounced vas’ trum) is a newly launched...”
– http://egoo-journal.com/2011/04/04/vastvrm-launches-design-your-own-polo-shirt-website/
March 2011
1 post
8 tags
Definition of Co-Creation
In my last post in the term definition series, I spoke about the confusion with the term mass customization, and that it leaves us “mass customizers” looking for a way to describe what it actually is that we’re doing. My friends at Blank-Label thus decided to use the term co-creation, announcing the “Co-Creation Custom Revolution”, or #CCCR on Twitter.
Co-Creation...
February 2011
6 posts
3 tags
Collaboration Opportunity for Mass Customizers →
Evan Saks from create-a-mattress suggested a collaboration on the LinkedIn Group Mass Customization, Personalization and Co-Creation. Many mass customization companies already joined. If you have a design-your-own website, click the link and join in!
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Definition of the Term "Mass Customization"
Mass Customization is an academic term, attributed to Stan Davis in his book “Future Perfect” where he writes about “mass customization, the production and distribution of customized goods and services on a mass basis.”
The term is often mentioned in connection with manufacturing and change management: After “Future Perfect” and then soon Prof. Pine’s...
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AOL on Mass Customization in the USA →
“Thanks to the Web and manufacturing technology, consumers can now customize virtually anything — from dress shirts to cereal. A look at the innovative startups that are quite literally giving the people what they want.”
“It’s obvious that customization can be a successful business model, one that’s often easier to launch. So why are we just seeing a surge...
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Decrease the Sacrifice Your Customers Make
I’ve quoted Pine and Gilmore in my blog post “Mass Customization as a Revolution in Production?” before on this: “…as new mass-produced items rolled off the lines, most consumers gladly sacrificed what they wanted exactly in order to simply obtain one.” (in the introduction of “Markets of One”)
Can we reverse that with mass customization? Can we make...
January 2011
3 posts
3 tags
Scaling your Modularized Mass Customization...
A production that makes mass customized goods almost always requires a modularized production. Example: To make customized chocolate bars, you must define the modules, such as 4 base chocolates and 100 toppings in the case of chocri. But not only the inputs are modules, the process has to be divided into modules as well. To define those process modules correctly is imperative for a successful mass...
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Mass Customization As a Revolution In Production?
There are several ways to look at Mass Customization:
As a business model innovation that changes what type of products people consume
As a thought model that applies to products, services, art and more
As a production technique
While I’m most involved with the first bullet point (mass customization as a business model), which pays more attention to the external and the consumer, I find...
Prada announces Personalization Service in stores... →
(as discovered by Highsnobette)
December 2010
1 post
3 tags
The Tyranny of Choice and Mass Customization
The December issue of the Economist has an interesting article on the disadvantages of overwhelming choice. The problem is known, but the article is extremely well researched and ties the topic very well together, so I want to summarize it here and then comment on why it’s relevant for Mass Customization.
Choices have exploded
Many of you know this very well as mass customizers, but even...
November 2010
4 posts
3 tags
"The Mongolian Shoe BBQ Site, our unique shoe... →
Closing for the holidays??? That makes no sense. I wonder what’s up at design your own @ Puma?
First article on caseable, ever! :)
caseable:
We are happy to announce that today caseable was mentioned in the egoo-journal. The egoo-journal is a cool blog about the latest trends and newest companies in mass customization.
Here you can find the full article: http://egoo-journal.com/2010/11/04/new-customization-company-launches-beta-caseable/
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"The Best Startups Are Founded By Entrepreneurs... →
“It’s often said that the best startups are founded by entrepreneurs who built the product for themselves.
While that rule doesn’t always hold true, I can say it’s it generally a good thing when entrepreneurs have deep domain expertise in the space where they are innovating.”
Makes me think about the success of chocri (we make the customized chocolate bars in our own facility, two...
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Mass Customization Insights from Prof. Pine
I just had the pleasure to talk to Prof. Joseph Pine on the phone (more info about him below), a leading thinker in the mass customization space. I decided to share his nuggets with all of you. While I’ve written this in an “interview style”, I’m mostly rephrasing my quickly scribbled notes I took of his answers.
Carmen: What needs drive the recent adoption of...
October 2010
2 posts
Business that sells customizable flip flops... →
Not mass customization in the original sense, because the customer changes the product *after* delivery, but still a great score for customization!
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4 Holiday Shopping Lessons for Mass Customizers
The Holiday Season is upon us! No, really, I’m not kidding. People are already searching for Christmas and Hannukah Gifts, and you, dear provider of wonderful personalized gift items, need to be prepared!
I participated in a webinar today where Symphony IRI presented their findings after surveying over 1000 consumers, and I’d like to talk about the points from that webinar that are...
September 2010
2 posts
7 tags
McKinsey's "Creating value in the age of...
I recently read Prof. Shoshana Zuboff’s article “Creating value in the age of distributed capitalism” in the McKinsey quarterly, which is subtitled “As mass consumption gives way to the wants of individuals, a historic transition in capitalism is unfolding.” Honestly, a large part of the article is so abstract and academic that it doesn’t mean a whole lot to...
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bnet: Are You Ready for Mass Customization? Answer...
I wrote an article for BNet on Mass Customization!
It includes five things you should consider before setting up shop:
1) Have you defined your solution space?
I’d like to credit Prof. Piller at this place btw - somehow quoting an academic is a complicated thing.
2) Will you have your own production facility or outsource?
3) Do you know the appropriate price levels for your product?
...
August 2010
5 posts
6 tags
24 Customization Companies Teamed Up and Invaded...
At the Smart Customization Seminar, I had proposed that some of the customization companies should team up to advertise on Facebook together to create some buzz for customization, personalization and design-your-own. And so we did!
On August 6, 24 companies put up ads on Facebook, together achieving more than 14 billion impressions for design your own as well as a few press mentions in the...