" Mass customising and designing taking inspiration from an existing product of any choice "
WHAT IS MASS CUSTOMISATION?
Mass customization is the process of delivering wide-market goods and services which are modified to satisfy a specific customer’s need. Mass customization is a marketing and manufacturing technique which combines the flexibility and personalization of custom-made products with the low unit costs associated with mass production. Other names for mass customization include made-to-order or built-to-order. it is the production of unique goods at scale. It is a technique that allows a firm to produce a broad array of product variations to serve different markets, preferences and requirements.
CHOSEN PRODUCT
Moving forward with this project and taking the opportunity, I chose to work with TUMI's popular Nellis leather backpack since the company just started experimenting with the concept of mass customisation. In order to mass customise the product, I had to learn about the market strategy and the existing range of products as the brand was on an experimenting stage. The outcome after having many discussions with my mentor was to design backpacks for kids.
Product name: Nellis backpack leather
Colours available: Dark Brown and Black
Uses: Business, high school, commuting, and travel
TUMI'S MARKETING STRATEGY
Tumi has a different approach to its target audience.
Tumi prefers to use B-list celebs for advertisements as the
brand believes in having more potential than having more
stardom. Tumi is connecting with its audience through a
psychological connection ( that’s why tumi uses B-LIST
celebs for ads because not everyone would be knowing
the celebs in their advertisements and one will search
the internet and spend time learning about the brand
or the celeb representing the brand that occupies a
space in the person’s brain). Tumi ads use less famous faces
to underline its accessibility. Some of the B-list celebrities
TUMI uses are Amanda Sudano (shown in the picture),
Lenny Kravitz and Zoe Kravitz.
WHY WOULD TUMI MAKE BAGS FOR KIDS?
Every brand would love to have a loyal customer, using this approach of getting a range of bags for school going children would help TUMI to get customers the brand wants. The children will grow up and spend their school life with the bag and the brand and thus become more familiar with the bag. Considering school life to be an important part of the kid’s life, the TUMI product can make its significance and the bond between a product and a consumer. All the clients or customers who have been using TUMI bags or any product of the brand know the potential of the bag as they have been using it for many years. So, they would want their children too to use the product that they have been using and have believed in the brand. Introducing the brand at a very young age would GET THEM YOUNG & GET THEM FOREVER.
Thus, I want to introduce a product that becomes an important necessity for school going children which makes them dependent on my bag’s functionality.
PERSONA BOARD
These are the people who live in expensive neighborhoods, some of them are ancestrally wealthy and the rest are 1st or 2nd generation of their family to be rich. these people are new to and are getting a taste of a sophisticated lifestyle. These will be the people who’ll be working in well-established and known companies like google and Dyson. who’ll have work experience of at least 5-10 years with a household income of at least 60-90 lakh rupees or more per annum and there even the spouses would be earning which also increases the household income. Schools like Welham boys, doon school (schools of India) etc where children from the upper-middle class and affluent families. These families who raise their children with caretakers, don’t feel commercial while traveling and staying at expensive and exotic properties
CONCEPT GENERATION
PROTOTYPES
These are initial prototypes that were made during COVID-19 pandemic in a leather goods factory. Due to the national lockdown in India I was unable to produce more prototypes.