Customizing Products: Pros and Cons
When entering the realm of a global market, companies often have to consider the idea of adjusting their products and services to the context of a new economic environment. The specified decision may seem reasonable at first given the change in customers and the necessity to adjust to a new environment. However, customization is fraught with several outcomes that may inhibit the further advancement of a company in the global economy. For instance, Levitt assumes that the process of product customization may affect the brand integrity and the following perception of a product within the selected market (Levitt 99).
Nevertheless, product customization also has several benefits, the ability to appeal to the selected population being the most important one (Gomes-Casseres and McQuade 14). Indeed, potential buyers respond faster to the images and concepts that they deem as familiar (Kashani 93). In addition, easily recognizable and relatable phenomena help to create a bond between a company and its potential buyers, thus causing a gradual rise in not only the general number of buyers but also the levels of brand loyalty among the specified audience (Rosenbloom et al. 50).
Consequently, the phenomenon of customization should be applied with due caution and care. While avoiding it completely might seem unreasonable for an organization that has not yet established a strong presence in the selected market, it should also remain in balance with the corporate brand that an organization seeks to market within a specific setting (Fites 91). Customization needs to be viewed as the tool for making a product relatable and familiar yet not mundane or uninteresting. Therefore, the proposed tool should be deployed carefully, with the degree of customization being calculated on a case-by-case basis (Quelch and Labatt-Randle 27).
Works Cited
Fites, Donald V. “Make Your Dealers Your Partners.” Harvard Business Review, vol. 74 1996, pp. 84-95.
Gomes-Casseres, Benjamin, and Krista McQuade. “Xerox and Fuji Xerox.” Harvard Business Review, 1992, pp. 1-29.
Kashani, Kamran. “Beware the Pitfalls of Global Marketing.” Harvard Business Review, 1989, pp. 91-98.
Levitt, Theodore. “Globalization of Markets.” Harvard Business Review, 1983, pp. 92-102.
Quelch, John A., and Jacquie Labatt-Randle. “Colgate Max Fresh: Global Brand Roll-out.” Harvard Business Review, 2007, pp. 1-30.
Rosenbloom, Bert, et al. “Global Marketing Channels and the Standardization Controversy.” Journal of Global Marketing, vol. 11, no. 1, 1997, pp. 49-64.