The internet is changing the way almost all businesses operate.
Customers can now easily find the products they want online, without relying only on local retailers. Manufacturers are increasingly able to sell their products direct to customers rather than through dealers. One aspect of online commerce that has particular relevance for manufacturers is the potential to customise their products to each customer’s unique requirements.
Perthshire business House of Tartan has been providing traditional Highlandwear to customers in Scotland – and worldwide – since 1996. In 2001, they introduced a new online service allowing customers to personalise the design of their products to an unprecedented degree.
The Interactive Tartan Weaver system on the House of Tartan website enables customers to create their own tartan design, and then order unique custom-woven fabric and clothing. Customers can create their tartan from a palette of 16 yarn colours and fine tune the individual thread counts. 'Tradition and practicality says that a tartan shouldn’t have more than six colours – but when you can design it yourself, the rules are sometimes broken!' admits House of Tartan managing director Blair Urquhart.
Finalised designs are manufactured in the desired quantities by a local mill, and the unique fabrics are used for much more than just kilts. 'We’ve had customers ordering tartans for everything, from furnishing a New York coffee bar, to matching the upholstery of a 1950s Lotus car.'
The Interactive Weaver is based on software used by the Scottish Tartans Authority, and customers can have their own tartan officially registered. 'The Interactive Tartan Weaver has been such a success, it’s almost taking over our business,' says Urquhart. 'It seems that you can really succeed on the Internet if you have something unique – and that’s what we offer.'
If you’d like to investigate the possibilities for offering customised products online, consider whether your existing products offer scope for this. You could offer personalisation through choice of materials and colours. Adapting your product design to be more modular could help with this. Producing online-customised products can be expensive – but the potential attraction to customers worldwide might more than make up for that. A good online design and marketing agency can advise you.