Introduction

In the marketplace, customers often customize products. Enabled by technological advances, companies can encourage customers to share these customization experiences (e.g., via social sharing buttons) with others, such as friends. Across six studies with mixed methods (field, lab, online) and in various product domains (food, fitness trackers, jewelry, bikes), the current study documents positive effects of sharing customization experiences, such that customers who share their experiences report greater liking for customized product, which expresses itself in higher satisfaction and better taste perceptions (pilot study), with increased purchasing intentions (Study 1) and greater feelings of pride (Studies 1–5). In line with the theoretically derived boundary conditions, this effect is specific to self-expressive customization tasks (Studies 3 and 5) and more pronounced for customers with a high need for uniqueness (Studies 4 and 5). The theoretical contributions of these insights advance literature on product customization and social sharing and also provide practical implications for companies that offer product customization options.

General information

If you are interested in joining this seminar, please send an email to the secretariat of the Amsterdam Business School at secbs-abs@uva.nl.