Online retailers have enjoyed dramatic growth in recent years by giving customers what they want. And it works: recent research found that 62% of shoppers dig deeper into their pockets when the retail experience is personalised. The trend towards personalisation looks set to sweep manufacturing next, bringing the potential to launch a firm's sales to the next level.
Already, luxury goods manufacturers are following suit and offering a startling array of choice to their demanding customers, with the fiercely competitive premium automotive segment among those leading the way. Such dramatic changes will be replicated across global manufacturing within the next two to four years as innovative challenger brands use technology to seize the initiative.
The key to high levels of personalisation, for manufacturers and retailers alike, is data. In order not just to expand choice, but introduce a personalised sales service and the kind of customer-to-shop floor feedback needed to stay ahead of the latest trends, firms must own, manage and exploit vast amounts of data. Digitisation means the information can be harnessed and enterprise content management (ECM) allows it to be used strategically.
For example, an apparel manufacturer looking to seize the initiative on its rivals could abandon the traditional seasonal ranges and opt for a more responsive approach, tailoring new lines to the latest craze and marketing items to customers directly, depending on known preferences.
I believe the change from the old one-size-fits-all to the new tailored approach can be relatively seamless thanks to sophisticated ECM systems that allow fast sharing of data across a company, on platforms and formats already familiar to staff.
This approach gives management a clear strategic overview of the manufacturing operation and the wider supply chain, highlighting any problems that are creating bottlenecks in the flow of information and goods. By bringing previously unmanageable data under a single system that is easy to access by all those who need to, I would argue that ECM allows an organisation to be nimble enough to adapt to the pace of client demand and seize the benefits of personalisation.
