3D Printed Shoes: The Instant Shoe Concept Proposes Perfectly Tailored Footwear

Technology is progressing such that we are suddenly able to 3D print personal products from vending machines adapted to each individual’s particular genetic make-up.

3D Printed Casts are Changing the Way Bones are Healed

Simplified, user friendly and opensource software is available that increasingly allows consumers to either design their own products or alter an existing design to order highly customized products. As desktop 3D printers become cheaper and more prevalent, a growing consumer base will demand virtual products they can print out themselves without having to interact with a physical store.

Cubify Desktop 3D Printer

This type of practice is already commonplace design world as it allows the exploration of a wider range of possibilities as in futuristic home-printed apparel.

The Freedom of Creation Textiles Shown Permanently at MoMA

Dita Von Teese fully articulated 3D Dress was Created Specially for the Model

In this emerging market, segmentation becomes more extreme and more critical. Competitive advantage can be achieved by moving from targeting broad demographics to targeting specific individuals and focusing intently on maximizing and expanding their identity. Global, virtual shopping behaviours lower the barriers to matching niche companies with highly specified consumers. This is especially true in light of mass data and machine learning capabilities which can be harnessed to target behavioural habits.This type of differentiated strategy enables the company to position itself so that it uniquely solves the problems of its targeted consumer set and avoids the need to engage in competitive price wars with other firms.