Food Customization: An Analysis of Product Configurators in the Food Industry

摘要

Product customization offerings appear in a growing number of industries (Configurator Database, cyLEDGE Media GmbH, www.configurator-database.com, 1). When looking at the customization potential of food, customer preferences in terms of taste tend to diverge a lot. In addition, there are different needs like nutrition and health which lead to a more heterogeneous diet. These factors enable a perfect playground for the concept of mass customization. Eighty-eight existing online food configurators, which are listed in the Configurator Database, have been identified and analyzed. The objective of this paper is to provide the status quo of the food and beverages industry in the market of mass customization. The results shall show insights and implications for creating a food customization project.