Product Uniqueness as a Driver of Customer Utility in Mass Customization
Mass customization (MC) constitutes a promising strategy for companies which aim to provide products which are better adapted to individual customers' aesthetic and functional preferences. Drawing on commodity theory, we argue that the perceived uniqueness of a self-designed product is a secon...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | en |
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Springer Verlag
2007
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://epub.wu.ac.at/3102/1/marketing_letters_uniqueness.pdf http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11002-007-9029-7 |
| Summary: | Mass customization (MC) constitutes a promising strategy for companies which aim to provide products which are better adapted to individual customers' aesthetic and
functional preferences. Drawing on commodity theory, we argue that the perceived uniqueness of a self-designed product is a second driver of utility in MC. We find that in
addition to the significant effect of aesthetic and functional fit, the perceived uniqueness of a self-designed product (1) contributes independently to the utility a customer experiences, and (2) that this effect is moderated by the consumer's need for uniqueness. In product categories
which can serve this counterconformity motive for onsumers, this suggests that MC toolkits should be constructed with the objective of facilitating the creation of unique products as well as providing affirmative feedback that this uniqueness has been achieved. (authors' abstract) |
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