An understanding of the Indian youth online product customization behaviour and recommendations to product customization websites

Abstract

With the advent of the internet, businesses have taken a new turn by venturing into the ecommerce space. The convenience of online shopping in terms of the time it saves and the variety it offers has increased the size of the online buying segment. In addition to this, even the preferences of online product purchases have been evolving. Moreover, these days online purchases are not just for oneself but also for gifting to others. In India, to cater to interests of the youth segment, many websites such as Chumbak , Bewakoof and Happily Unmarried have differentiated themselves by selling localised theme-based items. But these are still standard products that are mass-produced and aren’t unique. To add, many a time, standard products are unable to exactly sync with the taste of the customer. In order to address this gap, many online websites are now offering product customization services. By adding a personal touch to the product being purchased, these websites are able to emotionally connect with the customer and make them feel special. Some illustrations of websites in India that are offering product customization services are listed below: * Alma Mater As the name suggests, Alma Mater is an e-commerce website that offers customization for apparels, souvenirs and mementos for schools, colleges and companies. Its’ forte is masscustomized t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts etc. It is very frequently used by college students who customize t-shirts or sweatshirts in bulk quantities for their college fests. Alma Mater provides the customer a web-based interface to design the apparel by choosing fonts, uploading photos etc. It further allows the user to customize the style and colour of the collar, sleeves etc. * Printvenue Rocket Internet venture, Printvenue is one of the most popular e-commerce websites used to customize office stationery items such as business cards, letterheads, cardholders, keychains etc. as well as personal items such as mobile cases, laptop skins, coffee mugs etc. Customers use this website to design products for corporate events or to gift friends and family. With Printvenue’s online platform, one can customize products by choosing from numerous templates, fonts and graphics. One can also upload one’s own design. * Creyate Arvind Internet Limited’s Creyate is an online custom clothing website. It serves a niche set of customers who are fashion-conscious and want to look unique. It is for customers who would like to stand out in a crowd. Through Creyate’s online interface, users can design clothing by personalizing the fabrics, styles, fit etc. and have their measurements taken at home. These measurements are used to build the user profile with which the user can create a set of exclusive apparels. Creyate thus offers a tailor-made experience online. DailyObjects DailyObjects is one of the largest sellers of customizable mobile covers in India. It solely deals in mobile covers and works with designers from around the world to bring to customers the most unique and fresh designs. It is the first one in India to introduce natural wooden mobile covers. It offers a huge range of designer mobile cover templates which can be customized. Unlike other online customization websites, DailyObjects has a ‘30 day no questions asked replacement policy’ which also includes free return shipping. Given the low switching costs, online product customization websites will have to keep their customers satisfied with offerings that connect with their preferences. This would help retain customers and have their loyalty to the website.