Fantastical Thinking Is the Way to Customize Products

Customization has long been thought as the trend of the future, but customization policies have not generated the benefits that corporations were expecting. Business cases such as OriginalSpin by Levi Strauss and My Design Barbie by Mattel teach that consumer customization is not always able to widen demand, improve margins, warrant access to consumer knowledge, and build more solid and lasting relations with customers.

In a research study, based on a sample of 313 people, we show that it's possible to increase the return on customization investment by activating consumers' fantastical thinking, the process by which people activate imaginary connections with objects and ideas that are the reflections of the dreams and fantasies.

Psychology has long argued that fantastical thinking is an important resource used by individuals to find new solutions to complex situations. The research study went through four experimental settings, in order to demonstrate that the benefits of fantastical thinking are relevant for the customization policies and market success of firms.

Firstly, we asked younger consumers to create their ideal tattoo through the Tatmash site that lets you do it with the help of a tablet, and to upload their photos simulate the effect of the tattoo on body skin. Half of the sample, selected randomly, was induced to fantasize through the ad hoc protocol developed by psychologists; the other half was induced in a state of low fantastical thinking by asking them to solve a mathematical problem. The experiment shows that, thanks to the stimulation of fantastical thinking, people appreciate more the product they've just personalized. In fact, both individual appreciation and purchase intention are higher. The first study thus yields two results: firstly, fantastical thinking is a process that can be effectively induced; secondly, consumers using fantastical thinking manifest higher appreciation for product customization.

Advergames are the solution

But why does this happen? The second study, also conducted on young consumers, investigates the underlying mechanism, by noting that those who are induced to fantasize perceive a lower effort in interacting with the site and the customization process. This means that activating fantastical thinking makes customization easier. The benefits of fantastical thinking for customization are apparent not only in the area of consumer perception, but also in objective indicators measuring process and result.

In the third experimental study, the benefits for the customized product, a sticker this time, and the customization process show in consumer metrics. The product has a better quality and is more innovative, while the customization process has a lower level of complexity, measured by the number of operations participants use to customize the product. Consumers who contribute their fantasy thus give new market insights to corporations.

But how can companies activate fantastical thinking easily and efficiently? The fourth study shows that this can be done with advergames, which are advanced media and communication tools. They are a simple and fun way to induce fantastical thinking in consumers and improve corporate returns on customization.