The Meaning of Standardization, Customization and Mass Customization Advantage, Disadvantage in the Marketing Point of View

STANDARDIZATION, CUSTOMIZATION AND MASS CUSTOMIZATION ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

To be able to identify the both the advantages and disadvantages of standardization, customization and mass customization in marketing is should be clearly defined and will give examples of its function and how it can be used individually. All this three areas can be used in marketing, business, engineering and other practice of discipline but basically these three are often used in markets, groceries and other stores that sell various consumer products. Almost all products in the market have used the following to measure the quantity and quality of their products and services.

Standardization in marketing is any consumer or industrial products that are fixed in weights and measures or a transfer of goods according to its line standard in mass per unit. It doesn’t necessarily be the same in size and shape but the focus of standardization is the similarity in standard weights. For example take a look around you or visit your favorite supermarket and look at the canned goods section, you will found out that there are various sardines or milk that has distributed by various companies and with different brand names and colors but you can see that they have similar proportion of cans or if they differ in can physically try looking at its label and you can find out that is has the same net content which is its weight.

An ordinary sardines may weight 155 grams as packed while an ordinary soap may weight 90 grams as packed and this is the very best example of marketing standardization when products have the same weights regardless of brands, price or company they represents. If a certain company would increase in size for example their sardines offers 165 grams, they may also includes plus 10 grams free since they exceed the standard marketing weights that maybe required by the government or the industry. The advantages of such standardization is that customers can easily perceive and identify the products, they can also set the standard prices although it’s not required and its disadvantages would be it needs to be mass produced to sell, usually it is being sold in retail not in wholesale, it can be bulky in inventory, may delimit its price because of standard competition.

Customization in marketing is the process of allowing the customers to design or choose a variety of measurements, weights, styles etc. of the products or services the company is giving for example if they are going to buy an apple in the supermarket they can buy as many or as few if they like they can even buy in bulk or per kilo. Another example is that if a customer would like to buy furniture from the manufacturer they may even prefer to create their own sets of designs or colors before the finished products, in a tailor shop they can measure the body of the customers to fit perfectly before a certain dress is sewn. The advantages would definitely be goes to the customers because they have the freedom to choose and to the manufacturer they have the opportunity to create a new options and experimentation but definitely the disadvantages would be, the manufacturer may need to incur additional time, money and materials before a certain order is produced and sold, the customers may also dislike their orders that is definitely a lost on their part.

Mass customization in marketing is a new concept; it deals with personalization of products and services for individual audience in voluminous production with consideration of price and materials before production. Example is in technology and internet; a certain company can mass produce and duplicate a certain project like music recording; a customer can record a certain songs in a recording studio for distribution for their customers. A certain company can mass produce such songs without spending too much time or money the technology really works.

Facebook can customize various website from customers around the world without spending too much materials but their only expense would be the programmer’s salary. Most basically this process is advantageous for both the customers and the company if there ever be disadvantages would be the competition, because it is easy to duplicate, hack or clone products from the internet. But its advantages surpasses so much because companies can save so much they can also collect massive customers all over the world without spending too much in transportation and other expense because the delivery is done interactively using emails, the only expenses is the internet, electricity and employees salary, a certain individual can do this kind of business at home. As of today mass customization is becoming more of a major business trends rather than a part of marketing.