Enhancing customer centricity via 3D printing

The goal of customer centricity is to create and deliver products that closely meet the needs of individual customers. Typically, firms seek to enhance customer centricity by employing new information technologies (i.e., CRM systems). In contrast, our chapter examines the possibility of enhancing customer centricity via new manufacturing technologies (i.e., 3D printing). We first provide an overview of the key components of customer centricity and the key features of 3D printing. We then offer a set of three 3D printing-based customer centricity strategies that leverage these components and features. We then conclude by outlining a set of managerial considerations as well as an agenda for future research on 3D printing’s impact on customer centricity.