A new generation of shopping tools are driving innovation on the web. Shopping online is becoming increasingly more interactive, social, and fun. Treehouse Logic launched a research study to learn more about consumer’s evolving tastes and preferences in the context of shopping for soft goods, specifically in the context of the design-your-own, customization experience.

1. Whitepaper
What do consumers want from an
online product customizer?
September, 2010
info@treehouselogic.com
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2. Contents
• Background
• Research methodology
• Key findings
• Conclusions
• About Treehouse Logic
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3. Background
A new generation of shopping tools are driving innovation on the web.
Shopping online is becoming increasingly more interactive, social, and
fun. Treehouse Logic launched a research study to learn more about
consumer’s evolving tastes and preferences in the context of shopping
for soft goods, specifically in the context of the design-your-own
experience.
We set out to shed light on topics like:
• What do shoppers want and expect from a customization experience?
• Which top customization features are most important?
• Visualization
• Speed
• Intuitive design
• Social interaction
• Will shoppers still pay a premium price for customized products?
• When customizing, do users want infinite possibilities or simplicity?
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4. Survey Methodology
• Research problem: What are shoppers tastes and preferences in
the context of online product customization?
• N = 197. 77% incidence rate
• Survey was open to a broad audience, mostly adults in the US.
- 1:1 ratio of men and women
• 7 question web survey - quantitative study
• Acquisition method: Facebook Ad
• Incentive: 20 respondents won a $20 Amazon card
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5. Key finding: The pillars of Ecommerce apply
When asked to build a product online, shoppers described the
following as somewhat, very, or extremely important.
Price 98%
88% Convenience Selection 90%
Takeaway: The pillars of Ecommerce, price, selection, and
convenience, continue to apply in the context of design-your-own.
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6. Key finding: Focus on quality, fit, and price
“If you were to 'build-your-own' product online, how important
would the following factors be to you?”
Top priorities are product
quality, size / fit (specs),
and sum price
Takeaway: Customization starts with a high quality
product, communicating size / fit, and price.
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7. Key finding: User experience is critical
“If you were to 'build-your-own' product online, how important
would the following factors be to you?”
User experience and
selection is even more
important than brand
Takeaway: User experience is critical.
Customization should be fast, fun, and intuitive.
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8. Key finding: Users are price sensitive
Surprisingly, most respondents are very
concerned with price when customizing
products. Custom products have
historically proven to command a
premium price.
This could mean that users now expect
product quality and customizable
features but aren't interested in paying a
premium anymore.
21%, however, are willing to pay a
premium price for customized products.
Takeaway: 79% of respondents feel that the price of
customized products is very or extremely important.
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9. Key finding: Most respondents prefer simplicity
“If you were to ‘build-your-own’ product online, what extent of
customization would you prefer?”
66% prefer “Simple. Fewer steps. Fewer configurable options.”
34% prefer “Highly Customizable. Many steps. Infinite configurable
options.”
Many Steps – 34%
Fewer Steps – 66%
Takeaway: Simple customization flows appeal to a broader audience
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10. Key finding: Shoppers want guidance
“Generally speaking, what would be the best way to build a bag
online?”
Takeaway: Most shoppers prefer templates and creative inspiration.
Only 6% want to design a product without any guidance.
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11. Desired method of customization - Example
78% of respondents either prefer to select a
base bag and build their custom refinements
or browse pre-designed bags and then refine.
Respondents suggested including some creative
templates in the products category, along with a
blank product that allows shoppers to design from
scratch.
Timberland example
Takeaway: Shoppers expect integrated
shopping (browse) and customizing (refine)
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12. Key finding: Visualization and co-creation
“If you were to 'build-your-own' product online, what web features
would help in your decision making process?”
Visuals
Co-
creation
Takeaway: The most important customization features are
visualization and co-creation. 12

13. Desired features – Visualization
Visuals
When users are customizing a product on a website, they expect to see
exactly what it is going to look like. Not only do they expect a “what you
see is what you get” view of their specific creation, they expect to see
alternate images and zoom images.
During the customization process, users expect both a view of the sub-
components that they are choosing and a composite image of the
complete product, reflecting the look and feel of the final product
masterpiece.
Takeaway: Visualization, aka “WYSIWYG”, is critical.
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14. Visualization - verbatims
Visuals
What did you like most about the customization experience?
• “The visuals when designing”
• “It was nice that you could always see a picture representing your choices.”
• “Visualization of the fabrics and how they looked on the product.”
• “Graphic presentation is pleasant.”
• “Easy to use - nice visualization of completed product.”
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15. Desired features – Co-creation
When users are customizing a product on a website, they expect to
interact with the community. Community could mean the Facebook “like”
button, customer ratings, customer reviews, recent customer creations or
staff suggestions and top sellers.
Shopping is inherently social. Users want to see what other users have
created, as well get advice and creative guidance from the vendor.
Takeaway: Users want suggestions from both other
customers and the vendor in the context of customization.
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16. Co-creation - verbatims
How could we improve the customizer?
• “More suggestions or creations by others.”
• “Better to provide a big pool of ‘good designs’ as showcase and
customers could use those or work from there.”
• “I think it can be improved by providing pre-customized products with
option to modify the product.”
• “I would think that there would be some standard bag suggestions in the
products category, along with a blank bag that allows you to design from
scratch. And, all standard bag suggestions should be customizable.”
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17. Co-creation involves the community
Co-creation is the convergence of customer design, vendor tools, and community input.
• Fast, intuitive design tools
• Selection of options
Vendor • High quality visuals
• Guidance / suggestions
• Facebook “like” button
• Creativity • Ratings
• Tastes Customer Community • Customer creations
• Preferences • Customer rec’s
Takeaway: Users demand rich content,
community input, and empowering tools..
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18. Desired features – Speed
…and shoppers want websites to be fast
When respondents were asked an open question (unaided) about what they
liked most about a Treehouse Logic optimized customization site they visited,
76% of respondents mentioned speed and 94% mentioned visuals. 26%
mentioned both speed and high quality visuals.
Speed Visuals
Speedy 94%
76%
Visuals
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Takeaway: Users expect rich visuals and blazing speed

19. Conclusions: Top customization tastes and preferences
 Fast website
 Fewer steps
 Intuitive layout and design
Speed
 What-you-see-is-what-you-get
 Zoom, alternate images
 High res photos
Visualization
Customizer Co-
requirements
Creation
 Inspired suggestions
Price/  Customer reviews / ratings
 Product quality  Best sellers
 Self-education,
Quality/  Customer creations
(specs, descriptions) Fit
 Sizing information
 Selection, variety
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20. About Treehouse Logic
Treehouse Logic has developed a flexible, fast, guided, visual
customization platform that allows for quick and easy creation of
powerful shopping applications. Our clients get the benefit of a
robust, mature configuration system without the cost or delays of
custom software development.
Our solutions include
• product finders
• product customizers (configurators)
• recommenders
• bundlers
• co-creation experiences
• mass customization tools
http://www.treehouselogic.com
info@treehouselogic.com
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