Most consumers of products and services would agree that quality increases as the product or service is customized to their unique circumstances. Most would also expect to pay more or wait longer for these customized offerings than for a mass produced version. Mass customization means combining the uniqueness of customized products with the efficiency of mass production.

New technology may contribute to the ability to mass customize — genetically engineered drugs would be an example. However, other methods of mass customization include differentiating the product or service at the last moment, perhaps even by the customer himself, using modules, building knowledge so as to predict the most likely choices of customers or understand the causes of desired outcomes, for example which fertilizer will works best under different conditions.