Robert's Blog

Companies such as Indochino and Frank & Oak are able to appeal to customers by offering vast customization and style recommendations which are personalized to customer preferences. Having personally used Indochino, I found that the website’s clean interface and filtering of choices made it simple to find my desired product. Customization and convenient accessibility is why Canada’s e-commerce market is expected to grow from 24.25 billion to 37.87 billion by 2017. This predicted growth stems from the operation of a Direct Business Model. By cutting out the middlemen, these companies are able to go directly to the consumer. This is a more efficient process, which translate to lower costs for consumers. Customization provides a much needed benefit of personal touch, as these entirely internet-based companies lack human interaction.Customization builds customer loyalty and trust – after all it is much more satisfying for customers to own something they played a role in creating, rather than buying a mass produced product. Customers will feel a sense of brand loyalty, which will also result in lower return rates. These companies have provided a new medium to shop, and technology will only continue to improve which decreases costs and increases the ease of accessibility.

Sources:

1. http://business.financialpost.com/2013/10/06/how-canadian-startups-are-changing-the-way-men-shop/