A NEW STRATEGY IN TOMORROW'S GLOBAL MARKETPLACE:
MASS CUSTOMIZATION

Shifts in economy and sociological influences affected the marketing strategies. Modern fashion manufacturing was born during the industrial revolution and matured with the age of technology. All stages of clothing production, from design to delivery, are in close relationship with technological developments. Technological developments and the changing demands of consumers led the way through mass production. Over a hundred years, the apparel business evolved from custom fitting and assembling of individual hand sewn garments to the mechanized, automated and robotized mass production. However, today, each customer needs to add more individuality to the product and with this idea, mass customization has started to take root in the fashion industry. Mass customization is the process of delivering unique and personalized production of a single customer-configured garment by using mass production techniques. Clothing design has always been about one person’s – the designer’s – ideas. With mass customization, the ultimate consumer involves more in the fit and design of a product. Because the ultimate customer is involved with design choices, mass customization can be categorized as a design variation created by the customer. Mass customization reverses the traditional supply chain by making the customer an essential part of the design and product development process. The designer’s role during this process is totally different from the traditional supply chain.

Customization is everywhere in design related industries. Custom clothing, custom shoes, custom made jewelry are a few examples. For over a hundred years, we have lived in a world where mass production was the model for products and services, because standardized products meant lower costs. However, manufacturers and retailers must understand consumer demands and try to find a way to meet the wants and needs of customers without sacrificing the efficiencies and profits gained through mass production. The advantages of mass customization include reducing large inventories, minimizing returns, reducing distribution costs, increasing the customer relationship, building up a strong brand loyalty and understanding the customer better. Applying mass customization concept to apparel and accessories would result in a huge shift in the fashion business.

Mass customization takes advantage of technology in manufacturing and communication to facilitate a one-to-one marketing strategy. There are many big apparel technology firms producing solutions to integrate and speed up customization. Body scanning and made-to-measure technologies are a few examples. The aim of this study is to make an overview of the affects of technology on the custom-made production of fashion products and to evaluate custom-made production as a new marketing strategy. This research intends to approach the custom production process and systems of different apparel companies and emphasize the importance of Internet and web technology during this process.