Once a signifier of luxury or novelty, custom products are now within reach of the everyday consumer, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, algorithm-led platforms and the COVID-era digitisation boom. Today, everyone wants to be the main character of their brand experience and people are channelling their need for convenience and self-expression into anything from bespoke lipstick built with the help of AI to tweaking home electric appliances to be ‘just so.’
Gen Z and Y’s penchant for personalised playlists, meal plans, and shopping experiences have played a pivotal role in mainstreaming the tendency towards customised products and services. But in the years ahead, this behaviour will be defined by Gen Alpha, the world’s first ‘personalisation native’ generation, which is already exposed to the ‘personalised reality’ shift that allows this cohort to tailor entire virtual worlds and learning experiences to their unique needs and wants.
At the sharp edge of personalisation are ‘prosumers’: people who don’t want to be passive consumers and instead seek self-expression through a DIY mentality. Think hardware hackers, bike customisers, and even those beating Zoom fatigue with bespoke avatars.
Meanwhile, the wider mainstream has also gotten used to the convenience and benefits afforded by bespoke products and services, with the outcome that many consumers now resent the amount of time, energy, and money spent having to make sense of generic options. So increasing numbers are gravitating towards brands that can reduce these frictions and help maximise enjoyment through enabling a personal touch instead.
