Featured Companies from the MC500 (Part 4): Dell - the original mass customizer

In our series of postings introducing companies that performend very well in our Customization 500 study, we are introducing the next mass customizer. Remember: The order of these feature postings is more or less randomly!

“The computer is personal again”. Right, this marketing slogan was not Dell’s but rather part of HP’s great campaign in 2006. Yet, it would also have been very fitting for the former, one of the pioneers in online PC mass customization. The dell concept to offer computers, individually assembled to the customer’s choices and needs, all through a (mostly) convenient online backend and delivered within a few days (plus good aftersales service) was mind-boggling innovative at its time. The PC did no longer have to be one that vendors pre-assembled en mass, one that was ok in general but always had one or two components that just did not work for you. Now it could be your PC, a truly Personal Computer.

Over 25 years after Dell’s debut on the technology market, the MC500 took a look on how their mass customization concept had evolved over time and where it stands today, compared to a number of competititors incomparable to those of decades ago. More about Dell’s history at their homepage.

Note: Please see this post for detailed information on how to interpret the above data.