Customisation

What?

Users can influence the final product, before production, in relation to individual user needs and aesthetic preferences.

Why?

Customisation can support product longevity through stronger user satisfaction and emotional investment.

Challenges

• Users may not want to make choices.
• Customisation requires a user friendly system.

Examples

Big brands such as Nike offer their users the possibility to personalise their purchase (http://www.nike.com/gb/en_gb/c/nikeid).

Bow and Drape within high street apparel uses a ‘coffee to go’ strategy, i.e. users choose their own combination of pre-fixed elements (http://www.bowanddrape.com).

Suiting such as by the company Creyate (http://www.creyate.com).

Unmade’s customised knitwear (http://www.unmade.com).

Further Reading

• Niinimäki (ed.) (2013). Sustainable Fashion: new approaches. Aalto University, Helsinki.
• Pine & Gilmore (2011). The Experience Economy. Harvard Business Review Press.