Search for "customization" on e-commerce platforms can find that from cakes, umbrellas, backpacks, clothes, shoes, mobile phone cases, curtains, carpets, stoves, electrical appliances, cars, and personalized services such as physical examination, fitness, tourism, and decoration, it can be said that "everything can be customized". Experts believe that the increasingly popular online customized consumption that allows consumers to choose with their hearts reflects the personalization, diversification and quality of people's consumption needs, and also reflects the acceleration of digital transformation of production and circulation enterprises, innovative business models, and more accurate matching between supply and demand.
Deep user engagement
"The cup pattern is my favorite painting and has my pen name engraved on the bottom. What a surprise! Recently, Hangzhou girl Bi Xia received a 20th birthday gift from a friend - a customized water cup.
Just provide a picture to the merchant to customize a unique and personalized product. "Even niche needs such as customizing patterns for mobile phone data lines can be met by sellers. Participating in design gives a sense of accomplishment. The relevant person in charge of the Taobao platform said.
To customize a washing machine, consumers only need to open the electrical appliance manufacturer's APP, put forward personalized customization needs, and designers can give "exclusive" solutions on the system platform. Manufacturers will collaborate on design, manufacturing, supply chain and other resources to immediately schedule production.
In addition to various personalized goods, customized services are also favored by young people. For example, on the tourism customization platform, you only need to provide information such as departure place, destination, travel date, number of people and other information to place an order with one click, and the platform will quickly design travel plans according to the specific needs of food, accommodation, travel, play and other aspects according to the tourist's budget. "After tourists place an order, we will set up an online communication group including tourists, drivers, tour guides, etc., to follow up the itinerary at any time." The head of an online travel platform said.
It is understood that many couples will choose a "small but beautiful" wedding and pursue a more fashionable and personalized style. The online one-stop wedding solution can be specially designed according to the couple's preferences, from wedding planning to wedding banquet full responsibility, and can also undertake wedding room decoration, furniture and home appliance purchase and other services.
"Online customization is a customized service model oriented to consumer needs, which can provide consumers with more personalized and accurate products and services." Xu Xin, a professor at the Department of Economics and Management of East China Normal University, said in an interview with this newspaper that everyone's needs and preferences are different, so it is difficult for traditional mass production to fully meet the personal needs of consumers, while online customized consumption can provide customers with personalized goods and services according to their needs.
Shi Yupeng, deputy director of the China Internet Economy Research Institute of the Central University of Finance and Economics, said in an interview with this newspaper that online customization can meet the accuracy of supply and demand matching, meet the increasingly diversified needs of consumers, and also help to fully tap potential consumer demand and promote consumption upgrading. For enterprises, online customization can improve consumer stickiness, reduce the cost of intermediate links such as inventory and marketing, and improve corporate profitability.
Merchants target new opportunities
There is demand on the consumer side, and the supply side will make efforts. In the intelligent shoe factory store of Shuangchi Industrial Company in Putian City, Fujian Province, a personalized customized equipment can identify the foot characteristics and data of consumers, consumers choose their favorite style, color, pattern, etc., after placing an order with one click, the data will be immediately transmitted to the factory intelligent system, and a pair of "shoes that know the best feet" is born.
Ms. Wang, who lives in Pinghu City, Zhejiang Province, opened a women's clothing custom store on an e-commerce platform, and her business has become more and more prosperous in the past two years. "Young customers are more thoughtful, like to choose their own materials, and are quite interested in clothing production, we tailor them according to customer wishes, so that customers are satisfied, more and more repeat customers, and we have no inventory pressure." In addition to traditional suits and fashion, personalized workwear and Chinese wedding wear are also popular. In order to achieve better customized craftsmanship, the store has introduced more designers and manufacturing equipment. Ms. Wang said.
It is reported that the online platform of Shangpin Home Delivery has launched a new model of "random choice" of whole house customization, and builds a "design factory" with the help of digital technology, covering cabinets, soft furnishings, electrical appliances, smart homes and other categories, and can quickly give customized solutions according to customer needs and ideas. "Giving consumers the 'choice they want' requires digital technology and strong supply chain management capabilities. Digitalization is not a single means, but a transformation from point to surface by integrating elements such as enterprise users, data and resources. The relevant person in charge of Shangpin Home Delivery said.
"In terms of online consumer customization, it is necessary to improve product quality and delivery speed, build a good service and communication channel, and enhance consumer trust and satisfaction." Xu Xin believes that analyzing consumer behavior, needs, preferences, etc. through big data, artificial intelligence and other technologies to provide more accurate personalized services will help companies better manage product design and production. In addition, enterprises should also carry out deeper integration of the industrial chain of online consumption customization, and establish cooperative relationships with suppliers, logistics, payment and other parties, so as to achieve an efficient and reliable customized service process, improve the efficiency of the entire industrial chain, and reduce production costs.
On-demand customization is becoming increasingly popular
To connect consumers with production lines, Internet platforms are an indispensable medium. The "Opinions on Further Releasing Consumption Potential and Promoting the Sustainable Recovery of Consumption" issued by the General Office of the State Council last year proposed to smooth the connection between manufacturing enterprises and Internet platforms and commercial and trade circulation enterprises, and encourage the development of reverse customization (C2M), personalized design, and flexible production.
According to "demand" reverse customization has gradually become popular, many domestic production enterprises have set up "reverse customization" smart factories, etc., and major e-commerce platforms have also accelerated the layout of the "reverse customization" model: consumers can place orders through e-commerce platforms, manufacturers receive personalized demand orders from consumers, and then design, purchase, production and delivery according to demand.
At a time when the customization model is rapidly evolving, there are still some problems that need to be solved. Some consumers have reported that they are worried about after-sales service when they buy customized products. The relevant person in charge of the China Consumers Association said that the service rules in customized consumption need to be further improved. For example, in after-sales maintenance and other links, it is more difficult to return and exchange customized goods, and if there is a quality problem that needs to be repaired, it may face a situation where it is difficult for the supply and demand sides to reach an agreement due to high costs. For another example, the billing rules of some customized goods or services are not transparent, and consumers do not have enough right to know.
Shi Yupeng said that the basis of customized production is the personalized data of consumers. Therefore, to develop the customized consumer market, special attention should be paid to strengthening the protection of consumer privacy, preventing information leakage, and allowing consumers to confidently and boldly carry out customized consumption. In addition, relevant departments should also strengthen the quality supervision of customized goods to ensure that merchants do not cut corners in product quality while making great efforts in customized content.