Customization and Personalization

Abstract

The purpose of this special issue is to reexamine customization and personalization in marketing. Both customization and personalization are manufacturing techniques used by firms to provide their customers with products, services, and informative contents that match their individual needs. With a customization/personalization system, firms gain a competitive advantage. A few decades ago, Japanese firms such as Panasonic and Toyota were world leaders in high-tech customization/personalization systems. However, in recent years, foreign firms seem to be conducting more skillful marketing with customization/personalization systems. Moreover, Japanese scholars have published fewer articles on customization/personalization than foreign scholars. In response to this situation, this special issue contains five invited refereed articles, in addition to seven other articles.