Identifying customer need patterns for customization and personalization

The importance of incorporating customer preferences into product specifications for successful customized product design has been well recognized. An approach based on the identification of customer need patterns is proposed in this paper for better understanding of customer preferences and accordingly to enhance the product definition for customization and personalization. A tree‐structured classification algorithm is formulated for the identification of customer need patterns. Accordingly, a two‐phase methodology is developed for effective product definition. A case study of power supply products is reported to illustrate the feasibility and potential of the proposed approach.