How Mass Customization in E-Commerce Can Drive Massive Growth
Mass customization is an essential strategy for e-commerce platforms to meet diverse customer needs without compromising operational efficiency. Orgill, a $4 billion hardware company with a 177-year history, exemplifies how thoughtfully executed mass customization can drive significant growth.
Mass Customization in E-commerce: A Success Strategy with Growth Potential
Mass customization in e-commerce is becoming increasingly important as retailers strive to meet modern consumer demands for personalization while ensuring efficient scalability. At Shoptoberfest 2024, Grant Morrow, Orgill’s Director of Ecommerce, shared insights into the challenges and successes of implementing mass customization—and why it’s more than just a buzzword.
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The Elusive Promise of Mass Customization
“When I talk to e-commerce platforms, they all claim they can do mass customization,” said Morrow. “I don’t think anyone does it very well. It’s incredibly difficult.” Despite its overuse as a buzzword, mass customization remains a critical strategy for e-commerce platforms to meet varied customer needs while maintaining operational efficiency.
Orgill’s journey showcases how mass customization, when carefully implemented, can lead to substantial business growth.
Orgill’s Path to Mass Customization: A Learning Curve for E-commerce
A Business Model Rooted in Individuality
Orgill’s business model supports over 6,000 independent hardware stores, farm stores, and lumberyards in North America. Competing against big-box giants like Home Depot and Lowe’s, Orgill’s customers rely on personalized support to address local market needs. Morrow bridges cutting-edge technology with the unique demands of these retailers, helping them succeed online.
A Rocky Start: Lessons in Complexity
When Morrow joined Orgill a decade ago, their in-house e-commerce platform was “full of holes and looked awful.” Switching to Volusion, a templated platform, seemed like a quick fix but fell short of meeting their clients’ diverse needs.
Retailers demanded more integrations, like POS system connections and enhanced product data. “We had hundreds of sites, but each needed something different,” said Morrow.
The Key: Listening to Customers
Orgill returned to basics, focusing on customer feedback. The main issues were better product data and POS system integration. Orgill developed a product information management (PIM) system, enabling even small retailers to compete with rich, searchable product data.
Collaboration for Customization: Enter Composable Commerce
Orgill adopted a scalable e-commerce platform, Unilog, tailored to independent retailers’ needs. However, overly customized projects often spiral into complexity, requiring costly updates. “Build only what’s necessary,” advised Morrow, emphasizing modular solutions for flexibility and scalability.
*Orgill’s Future: Mass Customization Meets Scalability
A Modular Approach with Composable Commerce
Orgill’s partnership with Elastic Path introduced composable commerce, a modular system enabling faster updates and adaptability. “The biggest challenge in our industry is speed,” said Morrow. “Composable commerce lets us move faster.”
Balancing Customization with Scalability
Morrow highlighted the balance between customization and scalability. Mass customization must be scalable to succeed. Orgill’s modular solutions cater to individual needs while maintaining a core functionality for all.
The Future of Mass Customization in E-commerce
Orgill demonstrates that mass customization is about building flexible systems to meet diverse needs efficiently. Without scalability, customization becomes unsustainable.
“Scalability is the ultimate goal,” concluded Morrow. “Mass customization means configuring everything for scale.”
Orgill’s journey offers a compelling case study for businesses exploring mass customization—showcasing its challenges, potential, and role in driving significant growth.