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A successful implementation of mass customization and customer‐order‐driven production can bring numerous benefits to automakers. However, the transition from mass production to mass customization is difficult. Most of the previous studies focus on mature markets, leaving emerging markets untouched. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the necessity of making the strategic transition to mass customization in an emerging market.

This research is based on an extensive field study. A multi‐method approach (including semi‐structured interviews, document examination and plant tours) was used to collect the data at different levels in five commercial vehicle manufacturers.

The respective advantages and disadvantages of these two manufacturing strategies are analyzed based on the findings and a framework is established. The drivers of the transition to mass customization have been recognized and the obstacles of transition are identified. The specific benefits of a successful mass customization implementation are listed. According to the empirical evidence, this paper concludes that customer‐order‐driven production is a promising direction in a rapidly changing market such as China.

This study makes a contribution in two aspects. First, the evidence of mass customization fills a gap in the empirical literature and the findings of mass production help cross validate the drawbacks reported in other studies. Second, this study presents a transition model to facilitate automakers to analyze the complex phenomena in a systematic way when they embark upon the strategic transition to mass customization.

Mass customization entails the mass production of individually customized goods and services. Co‐design is a mass customization option where a product's design is based on the customer's selections from a range of design feature offerings. A model comprised of relationships between individual differences, motivations for using co‐design, and willingness to use co‐design was proposed and statistically supported using 521 university subjects from different regions of the USA and the analysis of moment structures (AMOS) statistic. As hypothesized, optimum stimulation level (OSL) predicted two clothing interest factors: experimenting with appearance (EA) and enhancement of individuality (EI). As proposed, OSL and EA predicted the two motivations, trying co‐design as an exciting experience and using co‐design to create a unique product, whereas EI only predicted using co‐design to create a unique product. Both motives were mediating variables between individual differences and willingness to use co‐design, but using co‐design to create a unique product had a stronger effect. Theoretical and marketing implications were discussed.

Total quality management resulting from the quest for total customer satisfaction implies giving every customer a product tailored specifically to their needs at a price comparable to that of mass produced products. Mass customisation offers several benefits, but are organisations ready for the paradigm shift? Three sets of factors that are indicative of the move from mass production to mass customisation were tested empirically in selected South African organisations, namely: industry, competitive and environmental considerations; products/services and structural arrangements; and organisational orientation. If the organisation is ready to make the paradigm shift, it still needs to determine the kind of customisation required to create unique customer value within the limits of its capabilities and orientation.

Mass customization (MC) is one of the changes for the US apparel industry that will provide a competitive advantage and offer products needed by consumers. However, as the points of customization and their extent of customization characterize business models including the process strategies to achieve a successful MC strategy, it is imperative to define the points of customization. The purpose of this research is to investigate and introduce the critical points of customization and their extent for apparel.

An apparel industry survey together with case studies was used to collect information to test and support the hypothesis developed through the comprehensive literature review.

Five critical points of apparel customization are defined. These points and their extents of customization are compared, analyzed and validated. It is suggested that the success and the capability of apparel MC will depend on how effectively a company can combine the defined points of customization and their extent of customization in pre‐production, production and post‐production of the apparel product.

The research findings of points of customization is for an apparel product. However, the concepts may be applied to products in other industries.

The post‐production customization point using current technologies is a popular practice for mass customization. However, to achieve a higher level or extent of customization such as design point of customization, it is essential to use advanced product development, manufacturing and processing technologies.

The points of apparel customization and their extent of customization have not been studied before for the apparel MC domain. These points and extent of customization provide new insights into the mass customized apparel manufacturing and apparel MC business models.

Many innovative companies are experimenting with a strategy of mass customization—the low‐cost production of high variety, even individually customized goods and services. Based on his experiences at IBM and research into mass customization conducted at MIT and at the IBM Consulting Group, the author has identified five basic methods for mass customizing products and services.

Firms in the apparel industry seek operational information on ways to implement mass customization. The purpose of this research is to investigate the potential for concurrent engineering (CE) to realign the traditional, linear apparel product development process to a more concurrent and consumer‐focused process in order to facilitate the implementation of the new supply chain process (i.e. mass customization) with sensitivity to time‐to‐market demands.

The case study method was used with three non‐competing apparel firms. Survey instruments and focus group feedback were utilized, which allowed the researchers to collect in‐depth information about the apparel product development process, often considered proprietary in many industries.

Product development activities in the lengthy apparel product development process were realigned with many activities being ranked as early or middle activities. This realignment into a compressed and nearly simultaneous process supports activities that must be done early and often simultaneously rather than late to support a mass customization strategy.

The case study approach and apparel‐oriented sample reduces generalizability of findings; however, realignment of activities and provided operational information encourage future research to document the findings for apparel and other industries.

Suggested movement of activities can be used as a guide for designers and manufacturers when trying to improve their product development process.

The paper provides needed detailed or operational information about implementation of mass customization in the apparel industry.

In housing, mass customisation is increasingly seen as a useful innovation for promoting customer satisfaction and thus for contributing to the long-run sustainability of the housing industry. A major stimulus has been the escalation in competition among housing developers in response to the increase in housing consumers' want for individuality in their purchased properties. However, in the absence of confirmatory evidence, the presumed consumers' want for individuality has remained only as a perception until now. In quest for the evidence, an empirical investigation was conducted recently through a questionnaire survey that involved housing consumers, both existing owners and prospective purchasers, in four centres of population across Peninsular Malaysia. This paper presents the findings from the survey. The evidence that was found supports the conclusion that mass customised housing is very much a way forward in Malaysia. The findings show that while buyers' dissatisfaction with current developer-delivered housing has led to a desire or preference towards customised house, buyers' satisfaction with existing situation has not weakened the desire. In the context of Malaysia, this study is important to the development of mass customised housing since it has examined market readiness on the demand side, one of the critical criteria for the concept to be successful in the country.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate four of Alderson's key concepts to show how they explain mass customization and extend traditional consumer goods classifications. The four concepts are: heterogeneous markets, transvections, the principle of postponement, and routinized transactions.

In this exploratory paper, Alderson's main concepts are compared and contrasted with today's marketing phenomena and are used for updating traditional consumer goods categorizations.

The main concepts of Aldersonian theory discussed in the paper – heterogeneous markets, transvections, postponement and routinized transactions – are a remarkably good fit with today's “mass customization” and logically lead to an enhanced of definition of consumer goods classifications.

This is a conceptual paper meant to emphasize the apparent explanatory power of Alderson's concepts to today's marketing phenomena. Formal propositions have not been developed and tested.

Traditional classifications of goods no longer accurately explain marketing phenomena arising from the growth of the internet and mass customization. Alderson's concepts provide an effective framework for explaining current phenomena and extending outmoded models.

The four main Alderson concepts evaluated in this paper have not been emphasized as a group before, nor have they been utilized to help explain mass customization and extend traditional consumer goods classifications.

The concept of employing web-based configuration systems towards mass customization of housing has been implemented by some prefabricated housing companies around the globe, and has become a challenging research area in the last few decades as an outcome of advancements in communication and design technologies. Different methodologies have been employed with the aim of efficiently engaging future homebuyers in the design of their homes. The thrust of this paper is to systematically formalize an advanced configuration system for mass customization of prefabricated housing for a company operating in the Canadian market. The focus is on one floor bungalows which are common within the Province of Quebec. Such housing models targets a specific market sector; elderly couples seeking retirement homes, with the aim of improving affordability through maintaining particular design and production qualities.

The purpose of this paper is to find out how consumers constantly trade off the potential extra cost of mass customisation with the additional time they have to wait to receive their customised products.

The authors examine this issue by using conjoint analysis to estimate the trade-offs using a sample of Australian consumers. The authors use cluster analysis to form market segments in the three product categories examined.

The segments demonstrate that there are groups of customers who are quite willing to trade-off price with waiting time. The results have significant implications for Australian manufacturers who are contemplating moving into mass customisation.

Many researchers have investigated the issue of a customer’s readiness to buy a customised product. In particular, they have examined whether customers are willing to pay extra for a mass-customised product, whether they would spend some time to design it, as well as wait to receive it. There has been no study that has examined all three factors simultaneously. The results of this study can help manufacturers form a better understanding of customer willingness for purchasing mass-customised products.