The Phase 2 Interview Results - part 5

The outcome of the experiential need was quite low in the questionnaires and it was not related to the experience of the production process but rather to the experience of the end-product. This outcome was supported by the interview answers on whether the product or the process was more important. However, it was found that the experience played an important role as well. In particular the Irish female group was more inclined to try out Mass Customisation for the experience. For non-Irish females the importance of the experience was indicated indirectly through the significance of the enjoyment of the process and the product.

Furthermore, it was found that a positive experience is very important for the success of a Mass Customisation strategy, as the results from questionnaires and interviews pointed out. The experience of customising a product from its design stage until after the delivery of the product seemed to be quite sensitive towards any form of bad word of mouth or a bad experience. It was deemed important to explore in the interviews people’s reasons to avoid customising in the future. And it was surprising that the price of the product was only the second most important reason and the availability only came third. Most participants found that a previous bad experience or bad word of mouth would significantly influence their decision to refrain from customising a product, which was supported by findings throughout the research.

It appeared that companies offering mass customised products are more prone to bad word of mouth than companies selling mass produced goods. This probably has to do with the high expectations that people have of mass customised products as they are produced to their preferences and directly for them. This result indicated that not only the affiliation motive but also the experiential need could work as a motivation to avoid Mass Customisation. Therefore, it is important for companies to prevent bad word of mouth and bad experiences through good quality products and customer service. It was also found in this study that the availability of Mass Customisation options needs to be emphasized more through advertisements; positive word of mouth could also help to sell these products. Therefore, a proactive rather than a reactive approach could be critical in achieving this.

This is the first study that found that a negative experience could have such a profound impact on a company offering mass customised products. This aspect was not addressed in any previous empirical research on Mass Customisation and people’s motivations. Therefore, previous papers on the importance of providing customers with an experience (Fiore et al. 2004; Gilmore and Pine 1999, 2007; Moser et al. 2006) have to be extended by including that a negative experience has to be avoided at all costs. Future research into the effect of the experience, whether for the creation process or the end-product, should be carried out. 

The results for the last motive, the utilitarian need, will be  presented in the next blog.