The benefits of customization are not always self-evident to consumers who seek to minimize decision costs or are generally uncertain of what they really want. We argue that the mere posting of a starting price can increase a consumer's readiness to appreciate customized goods. We discuss this...

Consumers confronted with a product that offers an unexpected benefit are often uncertain whether the benefit is relevant to them. They might choose (or not) to reduce this uncertainty by thinking more about the offered benefit's relevance to their life. This paper argues that such heightened...

In mature markets, heavy competition has a commoditizing effect, and customers become increasingly fixated on price. When marketers refer to “commoditization,” they typically mean diminishing differences among offerings. But it's also a psychological state: Consumers fall into a mind-set...