Okonkwo Prelims

product costs an average of £200 with a waiting period of approximately

three working days. This bespoke service is targeted at a broad consumer

group.

The second bespoke range is the more exclusive ‘Bespoke Ebury’. It offers

customers the opportunity to provide a message that is discreetly embossed

onto the leather of a bag, in silver or gold, in the buyer’s own handwriting. If

the bag is intended as a gift, the name of the person it has been made for is

also embossed on the bag. A wide variety of materials, colours and hardware

choices are provided for this. Each bag has a unique number with a record of

the maker and the batch of skin it was made from. This bespoke collection is

premium-priced, ranging from £800 to above £6,000, depending on the mate-

rials used. There is also a waiting time of four months for delivery of the

Bespoke Ebury. Although the high cost of the Bespoke Ebury narrows its

market, the bespoke services of the brand are available to all consumers and

can be ordered through a few clicks of the mouse on the brand’s website.

The provision of bespoke services affects the company’s value chain on

the levels of product development, manufacturing and retailing (Figure 8.10).

This is sometimes extended to the delivery of the products, but since bespoke

products already utilize a complete customized process they are often deliv-

ered using standardized methods.

Method 5 customizing the online experience

One of the most efficient and cost-effective ways of providing customized

products and services to customers and creating a special relationship in the

process is through the web. The internet is a medium that provides endless

opportunities in product development, production streamlining and online

retailing. It is also an excellent means of tracking consumer preferences and

storing information that could be used for the future development of products

and services.

262

luxury fashion branding

Development

Customized

products and

services

Retailing

Customizable

products and

services

Delivery

Standardized

product

delivery

Production

Customized

products and

services

Figure 8.10 The changes in the value chain during the provision of bespoke

products and services

Source: Adapted from B. Joseph Pine II (1997) Mass Customization: The New Frontier for

Business Competition.

Note: Coloured areas indicate changes.