Towards an understanding of how the capabilities deployed by a Web-based sales configurator can increase the benefits of possessing a mass-customized product

Manufacturers that adopt mass customization are paying a growing attention to understanding not only how product customization can be delivered efficiently, but also how this strategy can create value for their customers. As reported in literature, the customer-perceived value of a mass-customized product also depends on the uniqueness and self-expressiveness benefits that a customer may experience above and beyond the traditionally considered utility of possessing a product that fits with the customer’s functional and aesthetical needs. Increasing customer-perceived value by delivering uniqueness and self-expressiveness benefits can therefore be one key in augmenting the customer’s willingness to pay for a mass-customized product. This paper conceptually develops and empirically tests the hypotheses that five sales-configurator capabilities previously defined in literature increase uniqueness and self-expressiveness benefits of a mass-customized product, in addition to the traditionally considered utilitarian benefit. The hypothesized relationships have been tested by analyzing self-customization experiences made by engineering students using a set of real Web-based sales configurators of different consumer goods. The analysis results show that easy comparison, flexible navigation and focused navigation capabilities have a positive impact on each of the considered benefits, while user-friendly product space description and benefit-cost communication capabilities have a positive impact on utilitarian benefit only. The findings of this study complement previous research results on what characteristics sales configurators should have to increase consumer-perceived benefits of mass customization.