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Title:
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THE EFFECT OF MASS CUSTOMIZATION ON DEMAND TURBULENCE |
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Author(s):
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Teemu Santonen |
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ISBN:
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ISSN: 1645-7641 |
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Editors:
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Pedro Isaías |
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Year:
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2003 |
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Edition:
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V I, 2 |
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Keywords:
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Mass customization, market turbulence, demand turbulence, experience, online newspapers . |
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Type:
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Journal Paper |
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First Page:
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64 |
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Last Page:
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75 |
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Language:
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English |
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Cover:
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Full Contents:
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click to dowload 
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Paper Abstract:
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It has been argued that market turbulence, which includes demand and structural dimensions, is
increasing the level of applied and future mass customization at least in the physical product
environment. However, previous studies have paid less attention to the fundamental differences between
physical and digital products, and the potential impact of experience on demand turbulence and
customization. Therefore in this paper we will empirically evaluate how accumulated experience
influences demand turbulence and mass customization in the case of digital information products. Our
empirical tests with data from 42 online newspapers revealed that only experienced online newspapers
on the national market had started applying the customization business model. This supports the
suggestion that the path from mass production to mass customization is not direct, but requires
continuous learning and improvement also in the web publishing environment. In addition, we found
only limited support for the proposition that more experienced companies should be able to control the
demand uncertainty. On the contrary to previous findings in the literature, we were not able to validate
the demand turbulence-customization relationship. Due to our small and homogeneous sample group, the
generalizability of our findings requires further research. |
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