Today I’d like to introduce you to a real pioneer in the Design-Your-Own Space. Inmod has allowed customers to design their own furniture since 2003!
Granted, Inmod is probably somewhere in between customization and mass customization, but they are not a crafter like a typical customizer, so they are a great example. Take these chairs:
Due to modular design, they can achieve customization pretty efficiently.
I had to pleasure to chat to one of the founders, Casey. I was intrigued on his views on mass customization since he’s been watching the market since 2003. He agreed that design-your-own is a trend that has picked up recently, and he attributes it to the increase of design-your-own options out there. You know what that means? Entrepreneurs- This is the time to start a mass customization venture!
Inmod is a great example of how far design-your-own can go.
They can customize a lamp (see left picture), or even bedding sheets. Check out their Pillow Configurator - you can choose pattern, fabric, size and the colors of the different parts of the pattern. How crazy is that?
I’m very impressed by the extent to which Inmod allow customization. I can’t wait to try it out. Furniture and Home Accessories are a great product for customization. Typically, the value of mass customized products is threefold:
1) Self-Expression
2) Gifting
3) Functionality
All of us know how much a home is an expression of our self. Think of the different homes you’ve visited - your grandparents, your buddies, your girlfriend. Aren’t all of them a representation of the person that lives in them? Customized furniture and accessories make that even easier, and takes it to a new level.
Similarly, functionality is important with furniture, and not just a nice add on. Design is looks and functionality - now you can design your own. And small items are great gifts.
I happen to be a huge fan of anything Victoria’s Secret. So you will understand that I got really excited when, strolling through a Victoria’s Secret store, I spotted a sign saying “You’ll think it’s custom-made”
Victoria’s Secret has very high standards for their product, and being the largest retailer of lingerie worldwide, they have great power over their suppliers. They are able to demand of their suppliers to be amazingly flexible. So theoretically, they probably could make mass customized lingerie true. And their advertisement suggests that they have discovered a need for customized fit.
Related, I had the opportunity to go to the Victoria’s Secret Flagship Store opening on Michigan Ave in Chicago… and guess what I discovered: The Victoria’s Secret “Custom Shoppe”!!! ->
The way this worked was that you picked a garment (typically from the PINK sub-brand, which is cotton), and then you were able to choose letters in different colors that a lady essentially ironed on the garment. Not the smoothest kind of customization (it’s personalization, strictly speaking), but hey - fun, and I was excited to see Victoria’s Secret tip their toes into the waters of customization.
I do wonder if something is brewing. Victoria’s Secret is awfully late with their international expansion (just now expanded to Canada, but otherwise totally missing out on a huge presence in Europe) - maybe they learned from it and don’t want to miss the wave of (mass) customization?
I love when Springwise speaks about customized food! This time - it’s PET food!
Here’s what they say (and I encourage you to just always read their posts on their site… pretty awesome website!):
OK, so it might seem like the design-your-own customization trend has come to just about every product category under the sun, but there was one we hadn’t yet seen—until recently. Specifically, Canadian RedMoon Custom Pet Food lets its customers design the food they buy for their cats and dogs.
There’s hardly all design-your-own products in existence yet. So much more to come! Where’s my customized wallet? Boom box? Personalized mouse? Post its? Lamps? …
Inspired by the recent rash of pet food recalls and the increasing incidence of food allergies in pets, RedMoon offers fully customizable dry pet food based on a variety of meats, produce and supplements. All RedMoon products are free of grain, gluten, soy, rice, wheat and corn. Dog owners begin by choosing a base formula—high-protein chicken and yellow pea medley, for instance—and indicating the activity level of their dog. They then select the size of kibble they’d like, along with how big a bag. A variety of supplements are available to be added—antioxidant immune booster, for example—and then the order is done. Cat owners have similar options, starting with a base food made from salmon. Either way, pricing starts at USD 8.99 for a 2.5-lb. trial-size bag, shipping included.
There’s no doubt consumers like to have it their own way, and it seems a safe bet that their pets do too. Unfortunately, RedMoon ships only within Canada and the continental United States. One to partner with or emulate for the four-legged consumers in your part of the world…? ;-) (Related: Eco-habitats for cats that can be decorated by kids.)
I visited the website, and I love that you can pick “boosts” (think Jamba Juice) to add, like the “Spring Step Joint Reviver Plus” (what a name). You can even name your pet food! This is clearly for needy but intelligent pets that rejoice when they get food that has their name on it ;)
I don’t have pets, so I’m lacking the empathy to customize food for your pet, but the allergy point is a good one. Any pet owners here? What do you think?
Just another example of customization, paired with a crowdsourcing idea a la Threadless. Don’t I love when Springwise speaks about customization?
Here what Springwise wrote about the lovely customizable swimming trunks:
From jeans to bicycles, fabrics to sleeping bags, we’ve seen a wide array of products consumers can design themselves. Lest swim shorts aficionados feel left out, however, there’s now a design-your-own site for those too—and it even rewards creators with cold, hard cash.
Aiming to do for swim shorts what Threadless has done for t-shirts, Shortomatic is a California-based company that invites consumers to upload their own art for a truly customised swim. All they need do is indicate their waist size and then upload the graphics they have in mind. They then position and size the art, choose their colours and add text for use on the waistband. Next, voilà! A unique pair of California-made boardshorts that’s customised for them. Those feeling less creative can also browse Shortomatic’s curated gallery of existing designs—currently, there are close to 700 exhibited there. Consumers feeling really artistic, on the other hand, can submit their designs in Shortomatic’s Artist’s Program. Designs accepted by the gallery curator are produced in limited editions of 200. Their creators receive USD 5 for every pair sold, while a further 5 percent goes to support Global Green. Either way, every pair of shorts is printed with the artist’s name, image title and edition number. Pricing begins at USD 99 per pair. Shortomatic is the sister company of Yogamatic which lets consumers design their own yoga mats.
The verdict is in, it seems safe to say, and consumers clearly like to have it their own way. Perhaps even more, however, they like to be paid for what they create. Help make that happen, and you’ll see some sweet rewards yourself! ;-)
"While custom-designed attire has the Edwardian appeal so in vogue with the young beards, Mr. Trepanier, a college basketball player, was introduced to the concept through pop customization programs like Nikeid and mi adidas, which are about as 21st century as it gets. It is that convergence of yesterday and tomorrow that is driving the new wave of customania, which is seemingly affecting everything money can buy."
