Understanding customisable products and the opportunities to use them to increase profits and develop new markets

Understanding Customisable Products
and the opportunities to use them to
increase profits and develop new markets
This white paper has been written to help you understand the products, customers,
suppliers and markets for customisable, configurable and personalised products.
It then explores the software, business processes and other critical success factors
required to sell, produce and market these products
Andrew Talbot
@gateway3d +andrewtalbot
September 2014
gateway3d.com
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Understanding Customisable Products and the Business Opportunities Page 1 of 23

Contents
The Products Explained
Personalised Products
Configurable Products
Print On Demand Products
The Business Case
The Technology Drivers
Production Technology
Public Technology Adoption
Software & Browser Evolution
Cultural Influences - Why Customers Want Personalised Product
The Software Required
Product Management System
Online Proofing (Website Personalisation App)
eCommerce Website
Auto Artwork Creation
Auto Order Routing
Order & Workflow Management
Types of Customisable Products
Current & Future Markets
Industries currently using Customisable Products
Product Groups
Sales Platforms
eCommerce Websites
Social Media
Instore / Kiosk
eMail & QR Codes
Other Websites
Marketplaces
Critical Success Factors
Conversion Ratios
Case Studies
References
About Gateway 3D
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The Products Explained
Customisable products are created by taking an existing or blank product and customising or personalising it
either by adding your own design / images / text or by changing the product configuration
This is mainly done by the customer online but the concept has now been expanded to products where the
personalisation is done by the supplier / retailer by the addition of a unique design or theme not previously part
of the product offering and not held in stock - Print On Demand Products
The diagram below illustrates the 3 core product types
Personalised Products
Are available in both B2C (Business to Consumer) & B2B (Business to Business) marketplaces. B2C tends to
focus on orders for single products bought as gifts and decorated with images and/or text - whilst B2B is more
about logos with products being used for marketing
Configurable Products
Are mainly focused on the B2C marketplace where a consumer builds their own bespoke product from a range
of options available so their product is totally unique - customers are mainly ordering for themselves and is
currently used for fashion based products
Print On Demand Products
As production techniques have improved for manufacturing / printing small volumes of personalised products
the same processes have become viable for products that would have previously had to be stocked. This is
usually supplier driven where a supplier can add a wider choice of designs or offer limited edition products
which are only created as they are ordered. Some sites are now allowing consumers to create their own
products which are sold to other consumers online
The section on Types of Customisable Products further breaks down these 3 main product types into more
detailed product categories and markets
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The Business Case
To understand why demand is increasing for personalised / on demand products we should first explore the
business drivers that have created the demand. There are many clever things that can be done with
technology nowadays so before investing or committing to a strategy it is important to make sure there is a
sound business case
Listed below are the main reasons why the concept of mass personalisation, on demand production and
web2print are without doubt becoming one of the major drivers of both B2B & B2C eCommerce
1. Unlimited Choice - by not having to commit to a stock holding it enables you to offer a virtually
unlimited choice of products
2. Reduced Stock / Capital Investment - although the cost per item may increase overall by not having
to tie up capital in stock reduces the overall costs
3. Reduced Lead Time for New Ranges - for the reasons described in (2) barriers to entry for smaller
retailers. It is also quicker to launch a new idea related to current event - eg Football Score
4. More Unique Products - in a world where larger shops are stocking the same ranges there is a strong
demand for products that truly unique and both personalised and on demand offer this possibility
5. Streamline Processes - by enabling the customer to design and sign off a product online and by
creating print ready artwork it is possible to make the production of even 1 product profitable
6. Changing Profile of Consumers - younger consumer are growing up with mobiles in their hands and
they expect more original products - they enjoy the idea of creating their own art or searching for a
unique design
7. High Impact Promotions - companies like Coca Cola and Heinz have already proved the power of
personalisation as part of their marketing mix so many other organisations are now looking into
harnessing personalised products as part of their own campaigns
One of the most exciting things about the concept is the number of products / market sectors the concept can
be applied to. We will explore these options later in this paper in the Current & Future Markets section
“Any industry can allow mass customization and is prone to change. Individuals need to feel
empowered when purchasing and technology has made this possible. Whether is next year or 10 years
from now, mass customization will become massively popular”
“It has the potential to turn more and more people into makers instead of just consumers, and we
know from history that when you give makers the right tools and inspiration, they have the potential to
change the world”
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The Technology Drivers
Hopefully the business case is now fairly clear so lets turn our attention to the technology that makes the
delivery of personalised / on demand products possible
These drivers can be divided into 3 main areas - production technology, public technology adoption and
software / browser evolution
Listed below is a brief explanation of how these make the business objectives possible
Production Technology
1. Digital Printing - full colour printing with little or no set up time is now possible on hundreds of different
substrates from T-Shirts to Greetings Cards to Promotional Pens
2. Other On Demand Production Techniques - sublimation, transfers, embroidery and engraving also
enable products to be decorated cost effectively for small production runs
3. 3D Printing - as the name suggests technology now allows us to create 3D objects as well as decorate
existing products
4. Just in Time Production - many factories are now set up to build products to individual specifications -
their processes, machinery and logistics have all evolved to cope
Public Technology Adoption
5. Increased Acceptance of eCommerce - has meant people are comfortable to order online and enjoy
fun applications such as those that enable you to create your own products
6. Rise in Use of Social Media - means people are sharing a lot more images and other content that are
often ideal for creating products - no doubt social commerce will become an important channel
Software & Browser Evolution
7. Smart Phones with Cameras - also mean people have a lot more images at their fingertips ideal for
making products
8. Mobile Artwork Apps & Software - artwork packages or software for manipulating images is widely
available via mobile apps or cloud apps - giving us lots of ways to create artistic content
9. HTML5 & Modern Browsers - perhaps most importantly of all most of our web browsers now support
HTML5 so it is easier for companies like ours to create fun applications that allow the customers to
make product on websites, social media and mobile devices
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Cultural Influences - Why Customers Want Personalised Product
Cultural influences also play a significant part in driving the increased demand for personalised / on demand
products - not only is their a strong business case , suitable technology but people and organisations are
actively seeking something different
Detailed below are some of the factors we have identified that are creating demand
1. The Rise of the Maker Movement
The Maker Movement is a global trend or sub culture where people want to create or make their own
products. it encourages people to learn new creative skills so the concept of consumers creating their
own products fits perfectly into this. Sites like zazzle.com that then enable makers to sell their creations
to others further capitalise on the movement
2. Mass Personalisation
Is another global trend that encourages manufacturers to differentiate their product offerings by
enabling users to customise almost every part of the product. Many have credited Dell as starting this
concept which is being increased used now in the fashion industry. Nike have build a new factory
focussed solely on producing personalised trainers from their www.nike.com/nikeid website
3. Mass Customisation
According to web2print market leaders Vista Print - mass customization is about producing, with the
reliability, quality and affordability of mass production, small individual orders where each and every
one embodies the personal relevance inherent to customized physical products. So by producing a
high volume of small orders you gain the benefit of conventional mass production
4. Brands Culture
Brands are keen to use personalised and on demand products to keep themselves in the consumers
thoughts - experimenting with different products. Just look at how Construction Equipment Supplier
Caterpillar became a major footwear brand. Brands like Apple promote tremendous loyalty amongst
their customers and consumers want to share their allegiances
5. Attitude to Technology
The phenomenal rise in popularity of the smartphone coupled with the role of social media in our lives
makes everyone more comfortable with creating and sharing images
Consumers are used to services like Instagram filters and the number of products and services that
have sprung up around the social network alone just illustrates that tech savvy consumer want more
outlets for their creations
6. Emotional Bonding with Personalised Products
When somebody creates a product from their favourite images or their own design preferences then it
is fairly safe to assume they will have a stronger bond with that product making them more likely to
show their friends and inspire others to buy personalised products
The 2009 article by Mugge, Schoormans and Schifferstein called 'Emotional bonding with personalised
products' published in the Journal of Engineering Design focussed on this topic in much more detail
explaining “designers are increasingly focusing on the ‘emotional responses and
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experiences’ that products can bring about rather than on their functional benefits”
A well designed personalised product is an ideal way to deliver that emotional response and create
advocates for a companies products or services
7. The Long Tail - Unlimited Choice
The best selling book by Chris Anderson introduces us to the concept of unlimited choice and what
better way to offer this than with Personalised or On Demand Products
In summary the theory of the Long Tail is that “ our culture and economy is increasingly shifting away
from a focus on a relatively small number of "hits" (mainstream products and markets) at the head of
the demand curve and toward a huge number of niches in the tail. As the costs of production and
distribution fall, especially online, there is now less need to lump products and consumers into one-size-
fits-all containers. In an era without the constraints of physical shelf space and other bottlenecks of
distribution, narrowly-targeted goods and services can be as economically attractive as mainstream
fare”
People gravitate towards niches because they satisfy narrow interests better, and in one aspect of our
life or another we all have some narrow interest (whether we think of it that way or not).
By printing on demand or allowing people to personalise a base design it enables the retailer to market
an unprecedented range of niche products helping them satisfy the long tail but remaining profitable
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The Software Required
By now we hope you are clear about the business case, understand the technical and cultural drivers that
make personalised and on demand products an important area to consider for most ecommerce websites
This next section explores what software solutions you will need to exploit the opportunity - the diagram below
illustrates the core components you would need to put in place
Product Management System
Products need setting up to enable them to be personalised online. There are lots of factors to consider and
you will need a database system that enables you to
● Choose a base image to personalise
● Apply print / customisation areas with bleed options or split into component parts
● Add image areas with image resolution checking
● Add product colour or texture options
● Add galleries of images or patterns
● Add text areas and specify fonts, font sizes and font colours
● Add predesigned templates
● Select effects to represent different decoration methods
● Select other variables such as size
● Add backgrounds and thumbnail images
● Set up different print output options
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Online Proofing (Website Personalisation App)
Although it would be possible to collect information for product personalisation without an online preview via a
series of text boxes or image upload options - research by leading retailers has indicated that sales
conversions are 60% higher if an online preview is available so it is highly recommended that when selling a
personalised product online you factor in the ability to have a preview or preferably a live preview
Other features that are desirable for online personalisation software are
● Ability to connect to social images sources such as Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Google+
● Ability to measure the quality of images uploaded
● Tools to manipulate text and images
● Ability to auto format text to fit boxes
● Ability to curve and move text
● Option to have multi sided or 3D products
● Ability to save products as well as add them to basket
On Demand products do not really need an online preview just a product image but ideally these should be set
up in your product management system so that when ordered they auto create a print job in just the same way
as a personalised product
eCommerce Website
To sell products an eCommerce website would be required. The Personalisation App can either be created as
part of the website build or provided by a specialist personalisation software company and added to the
website via an iframe or similar technology.
As a general rule only the larger organisations can afford to develop their own personalisation technology as
hopefully this section of the white paper has explained - a six figure budget is generally required to do this well.
That is why the most popular approach is to use packages developed by specialist providers such Gateway
3D, Deco Network or Direct Smile
Products can either be added to an existing website using an API (Application programming interface) or in
many case are sold via a specialist microsite linked from a company's main website - the choice really
depends on available IT resource, budget and strategy
As creating personalised products is usually a fun experience and can take quite a few minutes many
customers enjoy creating products but do not always go straight on to to purchase them - research suggests
conversion from creation to purchase is about 50%. There is also a real desire for users to be able to save
their work or projects or products - so this feature is recommended for the app or website to improve
conversions
At the moment not many simple or DIY eCommerce systems would support the sale of personalised or on
demand products - the easiest way to find out if an ecommerce website could be used to sell personalised
products would be to ask if the website has an API to enable third party application to add products to its
shopping cart. Systems like Magento, WooCommerce, Virtuemart & Opencart are fine - systems like Big
Commerce, Shopify would require a specialist app developing, For more eCommerce platforms see chart on
the next page
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An eCommerce website is not the only platform where you can sell personalised and on demand products but
it is currently the most common - please see the section on Sales Platforms for more information
Current Market Share of eCommerce Platforms
Auto Artwork Creation
For the process of producing personalised or on demand products to be economic then the workflow system
must generate and print ready artwork that can be auto batched
For higher volume personalisation websites it is recommended that artwork is not actually created until the
customer has paid for the product - as we know that 50% of products created may not be actually ordered and
when dealing with large file like images it can be important to save processing power
Large file sizes also mean artwork storage is a potential issue so cost effective cloud based storage such as
Amazon S3 is often used. Most companies involved in this industry would not keep print jobs for more than
say 3 months as the volume of images stored could become vast and by their nature not many personalised
products are re-ordered
At this point you can either use workflow or RIP solution provided by specialist software providers such as
CADLink or your personalisation software provider may also have a workflow solution
Adding barcodes to artwork to enable easy identification of a job is also a common requirement
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Another important factor to consider is artwork formats as different decoration methods will need different
artwork output formats
● Sublimation, Digital & DTG Print - jpg, png or pdf
● Engraving - eps or svg
● Embroidery - good quality image to create dst
● Transfer - vector cut line around pdf
● Product Configurator - parts list
Auto Order Routing
Another important feature is the ability to auto direct the order to the appropriate fulfilment house. Retailers are
able to use a wide range of suppliers if the orders are seamlessly routed to the appropriate fulfiller based on
product type. A correctly configured system should need no human intervention for an order to arrive at a
printer or work station
The software system should then enable each fulfiller to perform the following tasks
1. Download artwork
2. Print off branded delivery notes
3. Communicate with customer (if required)
4. Confirm order has been despatched
5. View an audit trail of order processing history
Order & Workflow Management
The final piece of software needed for the delivery of personalised and on demand products is an order
management system
Many fulfilment companies may have their own workflow / order management system where products orders
would need to be automatically transferred . This is usually done via API so all orders can be displayed and
managed in a single system. As mentioned above when dealing with orders that could be as low as a single
item an automated “no touch” product system is essential
Features that could be required are
● Batching Orders by product type
● Auto Resizing Artwork
● Barcode scanning to confirm processes completed
● Carrier Integration
● RIP Software Integration
● Customer & Retailer Notifications
Example Order Workflow
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Types of Customisable Products
The infographic below illustrates the wide range of markets and applications that personalised and on demand
products are currently used for. The three columns across the page focus on the strategic uses of the products
and how they fit into an organisation’s product mix.
Each of the markets in the left hand column can be further broken down into industries and are detailed in the
next section - however as detailed below in the Current & Future Markets section of this paper almost every
industry has a potential application for a personalised or on demand product
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The top 4 markets in our Infographic brands, designers, manufacturers and consumers will all traditionally be
sold by retailers however one interesting dynamic about personalised products is that because specialist
online software is required to sell them organisations that have invested in this software often trade direct via a
website as well as supplying via retailers / leading ecommerce websites
Current & Future Markets
As products can be sold in so many diverse industries from car sales to photo gifts to footwear it would be
almost impossible to come up with an exhaustive list. however detailed below are just some of the main
industries where these kind of products are currently sold - but challenge yourself and I am sure you will come
up with applications not listed below
Industries currently using Customisable Products
Key Note forecasts that the UK giftware market alone will be worth almost £5bn by 2014 so this gives us.some
kind of idea of the potential market for personalised and on demand products on a global scale
Detailed below is an overview of markets with potential volumes for customisable products
Industry Details B2C - Fashion & Footwear Create your own using product configurators B2C - Photo Gifts & Products Upload photos for prints, wall art & gifts B2C - Personalised Gifts & Products Personalise a template to make unique & stylish B2C - Artists & Designers Print on Demand Wall Art & Gifts B2C - Fashion Print on Demand Licensed content on t-shirts & clothing B2C - Greetings Cards & Calendars Design your own cards & calendars B2C - Trophies & Awards Personalised for achievement, incentives & motivation B2C - Clubs & Charity Products Personalised or Demand to Promote membership for that organisation
B2B - Print Wear, Sports Wear & Workwear Printed & Personalised Garments for teams, B2B - Promotional Products Branded Marketing Products made with company B2B - Sign Industry Create your own signs B2B - Web2Print Create your own literature, stationery, forms & templates
B2B - Corporate Incentives & Awards Add names and details to awards & gifts Even if we take conservative figures for the UK the market for customisable products would be 6.9 Billion - in
very basic terms this makes the US & European Markets worth 69 Billion each and the rest of the world
perhaps another 30 billion - making the total global market 176 Billion
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Product Groups
We have already covered the different product types at a high level so this section breaks down further the
actual product groups - however it is also worth pointing out that almost any product is potentially customisable
Personalised Gifts &
Photo Gifts
Greetings Cards &
Stationery
Awards & Incentives Fashion
Phone Cases
Mugs & Water Bottles
Sweets & Chocolates
Textiles
Toys & Games
Leather & PU
Photo Panels
Keyrings & Magnets
Engraved Gifts
Pet Products
Golf & Outdoor
Calendar
Greetings Cards
Invitations
Postcards
Thank You Cards
Announcements
Seasonal Cards
Crystal Awards
Trophies
Plaques & Shields
Crystal Gifts
Silver Gifts
Medals
Watches & Jewelry
Clocks
Shoes
Shirts
T-Shirts & Polo Shirts
Coats & Jackets
Suits & Ties
Hats & Caps
Licensed Designs
Sunglasses
Wall Art Newspapers & Books Packaging Confectionery & Food
Canvas
Acrylic
Collage
WoodPrint
3D Wall Art
Personalised Papers
Personalised Books
Personalised Posters
Framed Prints
Boxes
Stickers
Packaging Tape
Bottle Sleeves
Bags
Wines & Spirits
Water & Juices
Cookies & Biscuits
Cakes
Chocolate
Hampers
Web2Print Workwear & Uniforms Promotional Products Signs & Display
Posters
Leaflets
Business Cards
Counter Cards
Stickers
Wall Chart
Stickynotes
Note Pads
T-Shirts & Polo Shirts
Shirts & Ties
Sweatshirt & Hoodies
Coats & Jackets
Hi Visibility
Trousers & Skirts
Headwear
Aprons & Catering
Scrubs & Medical
Clothing & Headwear
Drinkware
Mugs & Ceramics
Pens & Writing
Umbrella & Outdoor
Pads & Paper
Food & Drink
Executive
Bags
Calendar & Diary
USBs
Signs
Badges
Point of Sale
Banners
Flags & Bunting
Balloons
Door Hangers
Teamwear Photo Books & Prints Home Decor Events
Sports Kits
Training Kit
Kit Bags
Balls
Awards
Photo Prints
Photo Books
Photo Posters
Door Mat
Name Plates
Wallpaper
Light Switches
Marques
Banner Stands
Wristbands
Golf balls
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Sales Platforms
Although the eCommerce website is easily the number 1 channel for selling personalised and on demand
product - there are many other potential options
eCommerce Websites
As introduced in the software section earlier in this paper you can either add products to existing websites
using a personalisation app or build a dedicated micro site just focussed on personalised / on demand
products. This is currently the most popular way to sell personalised products as it is easier to cross sell to
existing customers and use techniques like pay per click and SEO to drive additional traffic to the website -
see the section on Conversion Rates to understand more about the relationship between visitors and orders
Social Media
As so much content is now shared by social media this is potentially a very good channel - it is now possible to
create apps for facebook that enable you to sell off the page. As these type of products are focussed on
special interest groups it makes them the perfect content for a fan page or group - lots of likes or fans means a
captive market. Over the next few years we expect this to become a very popular channel
Instore / Kiosk
As detailed earlier these kind of products need some form of terminal to create and sell. Many retail outlets
have kiosk systems which are essentially a locked down computer in a display stand which could be suitable
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for selling personalised products if they have an Internet connection. However there is now an easier and
cheaper alternative in the tablet - there are many secure retail cases for tablets and it is fairly simple to use a
personalisation app on a tablet enables personalised and on demand products to be sold Instore
The fulfilment can then either be handled off site via a network of fulfillers or by using modern printing
equipment it can be produced Instore on demand. This is a particularly powerful idea for personalised products
at tourist attraction or to enable a shop to offer a massive range of designs that can be supplied on demand
At a simple level this concept has been used at Amusement Parks like Alton Towers selling photos, key rings
and phone cases but can also be found now at major sports clubs like Manchester United who do a substantial
turnover on personalised products in their club superstore.
eMail & QR Codes
As a personalisation app is in simple terms just a URL it can easily added to an email or turned into a QR
code. This has several important implication for use as a sales platform
As we cover in more detail in the Conversion Ratios section a targeted email campaign can attract conversion
rates of up to 40% - with a personalised product you have the ability to insert a link into an email that carries
forward personal details from th email onto a product and allows the consumer to buy directly from that link -
as you can imagine this has an even bigger impact on conversion
By creating a QR code from a link it enables you to sell personalised or on demand products anywhere without
the need for a physical shop - imagine walking around an historic building and having the opportunity to
purchase products including your family to remind you of your visit from your smartphone or perhaps as a
souvenir at a major sporting event just by scanning a QR code
Other Websites
Using the link concept described above you can also sell product on non ecommerce websites such as blogs,
information and catalogue sites. This enables you to add products next to appropriate content and reach target
audiences more effectively
Marketplaces
It is currently quite difficult to sell personalised on marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon and Play as they do
not allow you to use external links on their pages so you cannot launch personalisation apps. However as
these marketplaces have a lot of traffic they are ideal for selling on demand products where the orders can be
sent direct to an order management system which creates a print job for the product ordered in the same way
as if it was a one off personalised product. At a very basic level the more SKUs you put on a marketplace like
Amazon the more sales you will get as we know they already have the traffic
It is also anticipated that in the near future the marketplaces will allow the creation of customised products
online and they themselves represent a significant sales opportunity
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Critical Success Factors
There are 4 key factors that dictate how easily an organisation can add personalised / on demand products to
its range. In simple terms if an organisation can meet all 4 criteria then they have the most chance of success
1. Products - there are many trade suppliers that can now offer a fulfilment service for personalised / on
demand products if a company does not have its own production - so really all companies can boast of
this option. It is also fair to say that equipment has also improved and it is fairly easier to purchase
multipurpose digital printing equipment
2. Content - this is really important to achieve that emotional attachment to products discussed in the
cultural factors section - do you have any content for products? - logos, images, licenses and designs
that would interest new or existing customers
3. Customers - have you got many customers already where you can cross sell these products
4. Website - as demonstrated in the next section Conversion Ratios if you can deliver the visitors then
you can calculate your returns and research is fairly clear on average selling price and conversion %
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Conversion Ratios
Typical eCommerce Conversion Rates
Source - Monetate eCommerce Quarterly Survey
The good news is that typical conversion rates for personalised / on demand products are considerably higher
because of the emotional attachment to something created yourself and that fact that with on demand you can
more accurately target unique content to a user's specific interests
Typical conversion ratios are as high as 7.5% more than double conventional ecommerce products
The most important factor that drives conversion is the ability to see an online preview of your product before
you buy - research carried out by leading personalised gift suppliers indicates that conversions are typically
60% higher with this feature enabled
Another key factor is the ability to save / share a created product - research indicates that around 25% of all
saved products do then convert to order and shared products drive visitors with a higher than average chance
of converting
The final factor to consider is traffic source
● EMail drives higher conversion as possible to target a product personalised for the recipient
● Social media can also be very effective as you can target products from relevant content on a page or
group - such as a club or hobby
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Case Studies
There are hundreds of great examples of companies adopting personalised and on demand products as part
of their business strategy but detailed below are some very successful high profile sites that best illustrate the
products sold and markets supplied
Moonpig - Personalised Cards & Gifts B2C Website
http://www.moonpig.com
Turnover - £55 Million
Moonpig have revolutionised the greetings card market in the UK and are one of the pioneers of the entire
personalisation market. They have changed the way the Greeting Card industry sells cards and could be
considered a key factor in the recent bankruptcy of Clintons Cards. Now owned by photo gift company
Photobox they have linked the 2 websites and are starting to push into other related products that can be
personalised. A great example of taking the personalisation concept into a new market and gaining rapid
market share
Nike - Configurable Trainers B2C - Product Range Extension
www.nike.com/nikeid/
Nike have set up a dedicated production facility to enable mass personalisation of shoes & boots this is linked
to a slick website that enables consumers to create their ideal shoe or boot. As the factory has been built to
enable the benefits of mass production for individual orders it is a great example of creating a new product to
fulfil,customer demand. Nike have responded to the demand for personalised products and changed their
production to accomodate
Coca Cola - Personalisation for Marketing B2C & B2B
https://www.mycoca-cola.com/uk/
In 2013 Coke discovered the power of personalisation when they launched their campaign to add names to
their standard bottles. This concept has then evolved to enable them to offer their distributors and end users
opportunities to create personalised coke gifts. This is a great example of both brand building and usiNg
personalisation to sell more products
Vista Print - Mass Customisation B2B Website
http://www.vistaprint.co.uk/
Turnover £1.5 Billion
Market leaders in web2print for traditional print products like business cards & leaflets. Vista Print are now
branching out into other product lines such as clothing and promotional products where their concept of large
volumes of individually customised products have all the production advantages of mass production can also
be applied. They are also a great example of enabling customers to design online and then manage
production using computer integrated manufacturing as described in the The Software Required section of this
white paper
Zazzle - On Demand Products B2C Website
http://www.zazzle.com/
Turnover £250 Million
Great example of how to sell both user defined content (customer designed product), licensed designs and
personalised products. On Demand Product sales out perform design your own by more than 10 to 1 and their
website is great example of the concept of unlimited choice with over 1 Million products available to purchase
on demand. Zazzle also put computer integrated manufacturing and mass personalisation at the heart of their
business philosophy
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References
Detailed below are the main academic, company and media services that have been referenced in this white
paper and have been used to research and test the concepts explored in this white paper
Mass Personalisation 500 - Dominik Walcher and Frank Piller
http://masscustom.info/mc500-study/
Disruptive Technologies for eCommerce -
http://netonomy.net/2013/07/30/three-technologies-that-are-disrupting-online-retail/
Making it Personal - Bain & Co
http://www.bain.com/publications/articles/making-it-personal-rules-for-success-in-product-customization.aspx
InfoTrends Highlights Key Market Drivers in the Online Photo Services Market
http://www.infotrends.com/public/Content/Press/2012/03.19.2012.html
Is Mass Customization the future of eCommerce?
http://netonomy.net/2014/04/03/mass-customization-future-ecommerce/
Having It Their Way: The Big Opportunity In Personalized Products
http://www.forbes.com/sites/baininsights/2013/11/05/having-it-their-way-the-big-opportunity-in-
personalized-products/
PIRA Global Print Trends
http://www.slideshare.net/mobile/adampage1976/global-print-markets-to-2016
The Long Tail - Chris Anderson
http://www.longtail.com/about.html
Emotional Bonding with Personalised Products
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-v2Btf_
xVSsMTM5MmMyNTEtNWU5MC00ZmEzLTk0OGItOGNmZDBiNmY1NzQ3/edit?usp=sharing
Monetate eCommerce Quarterly Survey
http://www.monetate.com/research/
Vista Print Investor Relations
http://ir.vistaprint.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=188894&p=irol-IRHome
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

About Gateway 3D
As we hope this paper illustrates we have a deep understanding of the customisable product marketplace and
have become an important strategic partner for many of our clients in implementing new strategies or
launching new businesses
We are passionate about the concept of personalisation and are focussed on becoming
global leaders in end to end software solutions for product manufacturers, printers, retailers and entrepreneurs
in both the B2B and B2C marketplaces
Our Custom Product Platform (CPP) was launched in 2014 and offers what we believe to be the world's first
end to end solution for all the modules of software needed to implement a personalised / on demand product
business as described in the section on The Software Required
Based in the UK but now with offices in the US & Europe we currently have a customer base of more than 200
companies and our software is used on in excess of 1000 websites processing thousands of orders every day
Customer can either use our whole suit of applications or connect to individual components via our API
For example add print jobs created on a third party website to our order management system or add print jobs
from our personalisation app to a third party production system
Here are just some of the brands who have product delivered by our systems Google, Coca Cola, Hallmark,
Marks & Spencer, Boots, Punch Taverns, Skinit, Shutterfly, Ried Bubble, Cewe, Jessops
For more details about our solutions please contact
UK - andrew@gateway3d.com
Europe - daniel@gateway3d.com
US - vic@ipersonalyze.com
Rest of the World - andrew@gateway3d.com
or visit our website and blog
http://www.gateway3d.com/
http://www.gateway3d.com/blog/
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Understanding customisable products and the opportunities to use them to increase profits and develop new markets

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