
23.10.2012 / Arts & Culture
Custom Made
Although it might be hard to believe it, there was a time, not so long ago, when makers and buyers were in direct contact – just think of a village blacksmith, a baker or a carpenter. Paradoxically, in the mass production era it is thanks to technology – and particularly thanks to the Web – that this relationship seems to be settling again.
As a matter of fact, the Web makes it easier, quick and inexpensive for consumers to get in touch with makers that are skilled to create exactly what they are looking for, be it an object or a pieca of furniture.
We’re talking about a very special kind of e-commerce conceived by an American website called CustomMade; the idea is to connect consumers looking for fine custom home furnishings and unique goods with the skilled makers who create them, making the idea of shopping more human and personal.
If we were to condense the project in a formula, it would be: “ individualism + e-commerce = customization ”. Once again, the “maker” concept comes into the limelight: consumers can actually make whatever they want instead of buying it; and if they miss the skills for that, they can always find someone who can make it specially for them with professional competence.
Could this be the future of shopping?
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