The usage of social media applications in product configurators

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyze the usage of social media in mass customization. Configurating a product to the specific needs of each customer requires information exchange and interaction with the customer. Social media can be used not only for communication purposes but also for example to help the customer in the configuration process or enlarge the shopping experience. By analyzing 412 web-based product configurators we identified the status quo of social media usage in mass customization and discuss possibilities of integrating social media elements in configuration systems. To illustrate the results we give examples and show how social media can be applied.