Customers are crucial and a business can only exist because of its customers. A business without customers is dead and done. Businesses thrive by providing customers what they want. Customer feedback and relationship will speak volumes about your business operations.

As a matter of fact, they are determinants if a business is thriving or crumbling down. Most businesses that have stood the test of time strive to get customer feedback all the time. As Bill gates put it” Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning”.

It is the dream of every business to have loyal customers who will stick around for a very long time. However, building customer trust is not a walk in the park especially in the ever-competitive business world.

Once a customer gets a product or service tailored specifically for their needs, taste, wants and preference is more like a kid walking into a candy shop. It increases their happiness, loyalty, and engagement.

Today, we live in a world where people are conscious of what they want to buy and use. We live in a world where everyone wants it “their way,” and people expect businesses to deliver custom options.

Picture how you make a meal order at your favorite restaurant. There is a certain way you like or enjoy the food to be served and its different from other customers. Why? Because it is how you enjoy the meal.

Modern customers want a business that meets their needs and desires all the time. They expect the business can customize anything to fit their preferences and taste. In a global marketplace, one way to add an edge to your business is by offering products that are customized.

In fact, brand customization is a growing trend that has grown in leaps and bounds and most companies want a piece of this service. In the ever-evolving business market organizations are working tirelessly, seeking new and fresh ways to stand out from the crowd.

About one out of every three consumers indicate that they want the ability to personalize a product and will look for that specific ability when shopping. Recent studies show this trend is here to stay. Consider these statistics:

  • 88% of marketers say their customers and prospects expect a personalized experience.
  • 98% of marketers agree personalization helps advance customer relationships.
  • 87% of marketers report a measurable lift from their personalization efforts.

With the statistics above it is quite clear that product customization is the right way to go. With high- technology techniques unfolding every day you can be certain that customization can be done to almost any product or service that comes to your mind. Here are few reasons why you need to invest in this budding trend.

Benefits of Offering Customization

1. Increase Customer Loyalty

Studies reveal that “customization increases perceived service quality, customer satisfaction, customer trust, and ultimately customer loyalty toward a service provider.” For a business to survive it has to retain loyal customers. The key to building loyalty through customization is to first make sure your options are unique from what your competitors offer.

Fulfilling customers’ expectations can be achieved by offering products that are customized. Customization can bring significant value to your business and add a new level of connection for your customers. It also brings you closer to your customers by making your business seem more human and authentic.

2. Charge Higher

Pricing products can be challenging because you want to attract customers without them complaining about the price and yet get great profit margins. Customers want to pay for products that are worth their money. Customization allows you to charge more for products that customers have given a hand in designing.

Compared to non-customized products, consumers tend to pay higher for products that they have designed themselves. Studies reveal that buyers are willing to spend 20% more on products that are personally customized.

When customers are satisfied with what a product offers it is quite easy for them to pay for what they are getting and vice versa. This is because the consumer perceives the self-designed product to be more valuable than standard ones, they consider the extra charge to be reasonable.

3. Makes your services more authentic

Allowing your customers, a hand in creating exactly the product they are looking for adds significant value to the product and the customer’s time. It also has an enormous psychological effect in that it creates a personal connection between the customer and the product, and, by extension, between the customer and your business.

This brings you closer to your customers by making your business seem more human and authentic. Personalized products and services add a human element or touch and hence portrays that a brand is more concerned about the customer needs.

4. Drive sales

One of the easiest ways to market your products and services is through the customers’ word of mouth. Unique products are a great conversation starter, as people tend to notice something that stands out. Happy and satisfied customers will always recommend your services to others. This prompts more people to purchase your products hence drive more sales.

According to the Harvard Business Review, when customers can personalize their products, they buy more and are also more likely to recommend the brand to their friends.

5. Keeps you ahead

An effective way to stay ahead of your competitors is by producing customized products. When your business meets customer demands it’s easy to cement a relationship with them. This is vital because loyal customers hardly run to new competitors when they are satisfied. Knowing what your customer wants will also give you an edge over the other competitors in the market.

Conclusion

If you do choose to try customization, make sure you know your customers well. The key to successful customization is having as much data as you can about your audience to make sure your products are fulfilling your customers’ expectations.

To achieve this avail plenty of opportunities where customers can leave feedback and you can analyze the information and use it to your advantage.