The concept of mass customization makes sense. Why wouldn't a consumer want a product tailored to meet their individual desires? In his book Mass Customization – The New Frontier in Business Competition, Joseph B. Pine defines mass customization as “developing, manufacturing, marketing, and providing affordable goods and services with sufficient variety and customization that almost everyone will find exactly what they want” (1993). ). Simply, the goal is to provide the consumer with what they want when they want it. Long before the industrial revolution, products were made by specialized craftsmen and tailor-made for each consumer according to their precise specifications and needs. The Industrial Revolution gave way to individual craftsmen mass production of standardized goods that satisfied basic needs. Customized products remained available, but were reserved for the wealthy and elite (Goldsmith & Freiden, 2004). Advances in technology and the Internet in the information age have made customized goods available to consumers at a reasonable price in this phenomenon known as mass customization. Lampel and Mintzberg explain that the Internet's capabilities for producers and consumers to interact and communicate, combined with the just-in-time inventory model made possible by robotics, have made mass customization possible (as cited in Goldsmith & Freiden, 2004 ). While mass customization has been made possible by advances in technology and the manufacturing process, it is driven by the consumer's desire to be unique but varied from generation to generation. Individualism and Conformity In his book Denial of Death, Becker discusses the individual's need to fit in but desire to stand out (1973). As humans, we seek to be… at the center of the paper… Journal of Marketing, 74(4), 15-30. doi: 10.1509/jmkg.74.4.15Levy, F. S., & Michel, R. C. (1986). An economic failure for the baby boom. [Item]. Challenge (05775132), 29(1), 33.Palmer, K. (2008). The TE shop. [Item]. US News & World Report, 145(10), 54-56.Pine II, B. J. (1993). Mass customization: the new frontier of business competition. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press. Russell, C. (1993). The main trend. [Item]. American Demographics, 15(10), 28.Thomas, R.R. (unknown). Television Reception in the 1950s: Coming of Age. The AWA's online newspaper. Retrieved from The Antique Wireless Association Journal On-Lie website: http://www.antiquewireless.org/otb/tvearly1008.htmWilliams, K. C., & Page, R. A. (2011). Marketing for generations. Journal of Behavioral Studies in Business, 3.