A study on the optimization of customer requirements for mass customization (ID: K-010)

Mass Customization has been a hot research topic all over the world. The current researches mostly focused on the optimization of the capability of customization and the degree of customization, and rarely focused on the optimization of customer requirements. But the earlier requirements of customers are sometimes ambiguity, and even disagree with the demands of mass customization. In this paper, the interactive behaviors between the customers and the companies for mass customization are first analyzed, then a two-level customer requirement optimizing mode is proposed, and then, how to lead the optimizing of customer requirements to meet the demands of mass customization by the use of customer incentive mechanism and business intelligence tools is discussed. Finally, through analyzing the factors of influencing customer requirement decision making, a conceptual framework based on the incentive strategy for optimizing customer requirements in mass customization is proposed. This paper considers not only the leading of customers in decision making but also the initiative of companies in decision making. According the paper, the satisfying customer requirement response can be realized, and the Win-Win of customers and companies can be realized.