Theoretical Underpinning

Within the literature stream of mass customization it is frequently argued that customers may perceive value from two basic sources. The first source relates to the characteristics of the customized product, which are expected to fit each customer’s personal needs. The second source concerns the process of co-design, which is an essential prerequisite to building and receiving the product. The current study focuses on the second source, i.e. the perceived value from the process of co-design. Important benefits, as well as cost components, which are assumed to originate from the process of co-design, are introduced, based on a literature review of perceived value within the context of mass customization (

section 2.1

).