It’s no big secret that consumers in the U.S. are starting to shift their focus to quality products that will last, as a solution for mass consumption. With every new generation growing more concerned about environmental issues, the nation is looking to minimize waste by investing in products with a longer shelf life. Millennials and Gen Z have begun seeking out custom, personalized products that are built with them in mind. A great example of this is the growing trend within the apparel industry of clothing built specifically for the wearer, with apps like MTailor that claim the fit of their clothes is 20% more accurate than if they were custom-built by a tailor.

This new era has brought about a strong personalization trend within the promotional products industry as well. More and more, end-buyers are requesting higher-quality items that are hyper-customized. The future is custom, which begs these questions:

• If an end-buyer builds the product themselves, does this create a more memorable experience with the brand? 90% of marketing professionals say that brand experience is one of the most important factors (if not the most important factor) for success in any business venture. Consumers no longer want just a product – they want an experience, and they want one that sticks with them. Building the product with complete personalization helps to do just that.
• Does full customization increase the shelf life of a promo product? An example of this theory is the “Share a Coke” campaign that would personalize a bottle of Coke with the buyer’s first name or nickname. Sure, you could go to any vending machine or corner store and grab a soda within the span of two minutes or less, but consumers were willing to wait weeks for their personalized bottle to be shipped to them. In the lens of the promo products world, this shows just how patient consumers can be if the product they’re receiving is built specifically for them.
• Are consumers willing to pay more for something they create themselves? We have three words for you: Build. A. Bear. You can go to any toy store and get a stuffed teddy bear for around $20, whereas the Build-A-Bear customer pays an average of $70 to build their own from scratch. The simple act of giving the consumer a series of choices throughout the product-building process turns the customer into a creator.
• Is a consumer willing to wait longer for a product that’s personalized? According to Forbes, 46% of consumers say they’re happy to wait longer to get their customized product or service. And this number is only bound to increase as the demand for personalization grows.

All of this could mean big shifts in the promo products landscape, which will create more opportunities for new and burgeoning businesses. Aside from products personalized for the consumer, there will also be a need for entire product lines created with a company’s logo. (Need an online store for that? We’ve got you covered.) Industry businesses are already building online stores where corporations can choose from a huge variety of logoed products and fully customize their products by color, style (in the case of apparel) and imprint location.

There’s no way of knowing how far the made-to-order trend will go in future years, but we know one thing for sure: In 2021, custom is king.