Success of mass customization toolkits: Product design typicality as boundary condition

Michael A. Zaggl, Marc Linzmajer, Gianfranco Walsh, Ronny Reinhardt and Judith Pottbäcker

Journal of Business Research, 2025, vol. 200, issue C

Abstract: Mass customization toolkits are often unsuccessful in inducing purchases of self-designed products. By adopting a user-centric view, the current study proposes that category involvement might function as an antecedent of purchase intentions, mediated by customers’ category–self-connection and moderated by perceived product design typicality. Leveraging attachment and categorization theory, we hypothesize that highly involved users already possess a strong sense of category–self-connection, which interferes with their purchase decisions if self-designed products appear typical of the product category rather than unique. Three studies test this theorizing. Study 1 (field study) demonstrates that category involvement increases actual purchase intentions. Study 2 (experiment) shows that the relationship between category involvement and purchase intentions is mediated by category–self-connection, as well as negatively moderated by perceived product design typicality. Study 3 (field study) corroborates the findings in another context (cars). The combined findings lead to theoretical and practical implications for user toolkits and their design.

Keywords: Co-creation; Mass customization; Perceived typicality; Category involvement; Self-connection; User toolkits (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:200:y:2025:i:c:s0148296325004928

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115669

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