misation has been around for a long time now, so why is it continuing to appear as a key innovations trend? Customisation is a way for retailers to fulfil the ultimate product of a customer’s fantasy. It’s not what you want to sell them; it’s selling them what they’re asking you for. Nowadays, consumers are fulfilling their ultimate product fantasies from designing their own shoes (www.shoesofprey.com.au) and creating handbags of their dreams (ethreads.com), to mixing their own organic cereal (mymuesli.com). Thanks to digital technology, operations efficiencies, and advanced manufacturing capabilities, more and more retailers are in the position of satisfying customised product orders. During the judging of best practice case studies for Ebeltoft’s Retail Innovations 9 study, we found the fittest retailers are those who are customising a new market, moving their customisation capabilities from clicks to bricks and creatively harnessing social mediums to procure feedback, interest and brand advocacy. Best Practice Customisation – Mymuesli, Germany Mymuesli has been conquering the German e-food market, and now the business is expanding with bricks and mortar stores. The concept is as simple as it is effective: customisable e -food. Format: Cross-channel e-food retailer Opening: 2012 Store locations: Munich, Passau, Regensburg, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Augsburg (Germany) Size of stores: 25sqm to 50sqm Despite constant growth in online trade, the German e-food market remains in its infancy. Most consumers prefer a local store for shopping over ordering online, with statistics showing just 18 per cent of Germans purchase e-food. Amid this retail landscape, Mymuesli’s founders discovered the importance of customer involvement in the value chain, creating a simple and effective business concept. Mymuesli is one of Germany’s most successful start ups, winning numerous awards including the Deutscher Gründerpreis (German Founders Award) in 2013 for newcomer of the year. Fit retail is all in the detail Mymuesli’s operational excellence and technology allows customers to cost effectively mix and customise their preferred muesli cereals online and ship their highly personalised products to their homes. The creations are appealing, organic, fair trade, and support local farmers by preferring regional ingredients. According to Mymuesli, up to 80 different muesli ingredients are currently available, amounting to 566 quadrillion possible mixes. To complete the experience, customers can choose their mix’s name and have it printed on the packaging. The company also offers a range of ready mixed muesli to cater for specific uses and occasions (kick start, weight loss, kids, gluten free, biking, and so on), and supplies these to German supermarkets. Mymusili creates customer intimacy through is customisation model, challenging the mass consumption cereals by providing the ability to create your own perfect version using authentic, healthy ingredients. Since its online launch, Mymuesli has opened six stores in major cities and has expanded its product portfolio to include Muesli2go, Oh-Saft (orange juice), tea, and coffee beans. Although the online business still accounts for the major share of revenues, Mymuesli’s bricks and mortar stores are also becoming increasingly significant for its business model. Customers can pick up their click and collect goods at stores to avoid shipping costs, linger in a store’s café, or taste the latest muesli mixes that the company creates. The stores visually support the variety of possible muesli mixes by making their individuality and tastiness tangible, making it easy for customers to get inspiration for their own creations. Each store’s interior is intentionally decorated in white with only wooden highlights to guide the visitor’s attention to the cylindrical boxes containing the muesli mixes. Since every cylinder is unique in color and design, and the store’s appearance changes every time it is rearranged. Happy fit retailing Brian Walker All currently released trends, including customisation, are available to download from http://www.retaildoctor.com.au/retail-innovation-9/.