“You can have any color you want, as long as it’s black.” – Henry Ford, Ford Motor Company, circa 1908
“If you’re interested in making money, the first thing you do is listen to your customer. If your customer says, ‘I want more than 10 colors,’ then you try to give it to them…” – Brenda French, French Rags, 1998
These two quotes prove how the market has evolved from mass production to be focused on individual preferences and customization.
Customers increasingly want new ways to feel special and seen by companies. And hence, brands give people individualized products.
I think the trend of customized products for business got in full swing after Coca-Cola’s ‘Share a Coke’ campaign. Consumers no longer want ‘a Coke’. They want ‘their Coke.’
The concept of ‘one-size-fits-all’ is no longer relevant. From Nutella jars to luxury handbags, customized products are gaining popularity. But what exactly is driving the desire for custom products? Continue reading to know why your customers love customized products and how you can start with this trend.
Why Your Customers Love Customized Products
1. Individuality
As unique individuals, all of us feel the need to express ourselves. Everybody wants people to notice them, listen to them. Even when shopping, customers want to seek brands that encourage self-expression and celebrate their individuality.
Why do you think brands like Lego and Burger King have a cult-like following? Burger King’s “Have it your way” slogan emphasizes individuality. Lego encourages users to take its products and make whatever they choose. That’s a powerful way to position yourself as a brand that supports individuality.
Let’s look at some brands encouraging individuality.
Malibu is a Caribbean rum brand. The brand launched a white bottle – ‘Malibu by U.’ It came with four colored markers using which rum lovers would add a personal touch on the iconic bottle. One entrant with the best design wins a stay for four people in Barbados. That’s a fantastic way to promote individuality, engage your users, and market your product.
Oreo had a similar concept. It launched OREO Colorfilled, an online platform where users can digitally color limited-edition packs. There’s even more: they have apparel with different designs. Just last year, the company announced a new way to customize Oreos called Oreo ID. People can choose their cream colors, top with sprinkles, and make it more personal by adding messages or photos.
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2. Unique Priorities
Customer expectations are on the rise. Instead of just purchasing what’s on offer, they want to feel like your products are just for them and that they fulfill their unique needs.
Your customers have many and varied needs. They fall into different categories such as:
- Price: Different budgets with which customers can purchase different products or services.
- Functionality: Customers need your product to function the way they want to solve their problems.
Dollar Shave Club is a good example of this. As soon as you are on their website, it asks you to share your grooming needs to help them create a customized box. Once you complete a quiz, they will straightaway offer a kit. You can even further customize your options. This way, the brand ensures that each customer gets a solution that addresses their pain points.
Another example of customized products for business that serve customers as per their preferences is jewelry. The Silver Store, one of our clients, is an online engraved jewelry and gifts store based in Australia. They deal in custom-engraved, hand-written, and fingerprint-engraved silver jewelry pieces.
Customers landing on their store have different priorities. Some want to engrave a logo, some a family monogram, or some their name. The jewelry brand, with its engraving design tool, enables customization of jewelry in unlimited ways.
Just the way The Silver Store stands ahead of its competitors, it’s time for you to move a step ahead by offering customized products for business. See how a Design Tool can benefit your store.
3. Paradox of Choice
The phrase ‘paradox of choice’ comes from a marketing book and a Ted Talk by Barry Schwartz, a well-known psychology professor. It is an observation that too many choices, instead of making people happy can cause stress. Too many choices lead to the following potential negative effects:
- Choice paralysis: When you offer lots of choices, shoppers find it difficult to decide. This delays the decision and often results in the shopper abandoning the site.
- Buyer’s Remorse: Even after shoppers make a purchase, they will worry about the alternatives they did not consider. This often results in the buyer wanting to return a product.
Customized products for businesses help in providing buyers with a product that best fits their needs. Brands are leveraging product customization tools to lead shoppers through decision-making processes. These tools provide a baseline – more like a blank canvas that enables shoppers to design a product from scratch. It keeps the users engaged and prevents choice fatigue.
For instance, Spreadshirt is a creative platform for custom t-shirts and custom clothing. The brand offers two options on its website – shop marketplace design or create custom products. When a shopper chooses to go with the latter option, they can choose a color they like and browse from a library of text, images, and designs.
This approach to customization will lead to a more precise purchasing decision, and other benefits like customer engagement is a bonus!
Customized Products for Businesses: Does it Make Sense?
You will surely agree that one way to beat the competition is to offer more value to your customers. And this happens by creating memorable experiences for the users. When customers immerse themselves in designing a product for themselves, it satisfies and makes them happier.
They see a product or service with an added value designed exclusively for them. Customers feel that they have your brand’s undivided attention, and that way, you can establish lasting relationships. All of these will have a major impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty.
However, customized products for businesses are expensive. It takes time and resources to build customized options. And not every implementation of customization will lead to a positive outcome. For instance, if there are too many complexities in the process, shoppers might not engage further. Let’s see what you should take care of when offering customized products.
Offering Customized Products for Businesses: A Blueprint
The first thing is to evaluate the nature of your products and find out if they are suitable for customization. You can do so by checking if there is a demand for customization of the products you offer.
It would help if you decided whether you want to give your shoppers the power to design or make certain customizations yourself. If you are going with the first one, you would want to be aware of your customer demographics before deciding on a solution. That will help you find out how comfortable your clientele is with the entire customization process and what functionalities you need to offer.
For a seamless experience, it becomes crucial to look for a tool that is feature-rich and user-friendly. With the PrintXpand product design tool, your users enjoy a balance between features and user experience. Our huge library of images, clipart, etc., will enable them to create incredible designs, and our responsive UI will give them the ease to create designs on any device.
Customization doesn’t mean complete freedom to shoppers. We understand your business feasibility and provide a custom UI for you to control where end-users can customize.
In a Nutshell
Everybody loves products made exclusively for them. By catering to their needs specifically, you can improve customer satisfaction. And the more your customers find value in your products, the more likely they are to do business with you.
Take your business a step further with customized products. If you have any queries about what you can customize or how you can benefit from product customization tools, get in touch with us. With more than 14+ years of experience, we have been helping businesses like you with our web-to-print solutions.
Want to know more about how you can leverage a product design tool? Explore the product by taking a detailed demo.
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