Mass Customization seems oh so 1990s Business School, but only now are we seeing real examples of customers driving the customization of goods.  Throughout most of that decade the philosophy was that mass customization would become a reality when technological breakthroughs made the shifting of production techniques affordable to the company.  In a sense, mass customization was believed to be a business/corporate-driven model.

But we are now seeing signs that mass customization can customer driven.  Faith is required, as was the case with Toyota betting the farm on Scion to reach a younger demographic, but success has shown that when you give customers the options of building something they will gladly pick up the reigns.

I have yet to see a food label get into mass customization, until I came across MyMuesli.

PSFK noted that people can log into mymuesli and blend their own cereal with one of 70 different ingredients.  If you don’t want to blend you own, you can choose from tried-and-true mixes that the company has found to be a success.

Not only is this a great example of giving customers the control of the manufacturing process, but it is also a great example of understanding how useful a web interface can be for helping people construct exactly what it is they are looking for:

Uploaded ingredients - from base foundations like grains all the way to the higher-brow accoutremants like Gummibarchen und alfalfa - are added to “your” cannister of Meusli as you click on them.  With every click the price below the can adjusts to the amount you’ll be expected to pay.   Of course, they also has a blog…I can’t read it, but I’m sure it is full of customer creations and advice on mixtures. 

I love this for several reasons.  First off, I’m happy to see food getting into the game of mass customization.  Offering three or four different colors of Heinz Ketchup wasn’t cutting it.  Enter the Long Tail…

Secondly, I love how every customized order allows the company to paint a better picture of the meusli consumer.  What ingredients go well together?  If you choose X, what are the chances you will ever choose Y?  Can we make a better Meusli by letting others make it for us?  Enter the Wisdom of Crowds…

Thirdly, looking forward to a book not yet written, I think this web-based system of customizing the ingredients of food will have profound effects on major brands in the next twenty years.  If the system is in place to customize cereal there is no reason why I, as a consumer, cannot go to a major soda manufacturer and ask for the same levels of control.  The only thing preventing me is the fear inside the walls of major soda manufactuerers.  The question they likely have but fear to ask is what would happen to Coke if it were opened?  Would people choose the special sauce over making their own? Cane or corn?  Heavy or light carbonation?  More prune or less?  Vanilla, cherry, orange, or what?  What role does Coke play when I’m making “my” Coke? 

Scary, but freeing.