Over the past decade, the network of domestic and near-shore factories has grown. It’s now possible to affordably manufacture much of the apparel, footwear, and accessories that formerly had to be outsourced to China. (That is, when you look at total cost, not unit cost.) In fact, many of these factories were designed with smaller-batch, made-to-order manufacturing in mind, so you won’t need to convince them of the value of this new paradigm.

Over the past decade, the network of domestic and near-shore factories has grown. It’s now possible to affordably manufacture much of the apparel, footwear, and accessories that formerly had to be outsourced to China. (That is, when you look at total cost, not unit cost.) In fact, many of these factories were designed with smaller-batch, made-to-order manufacturing in mind, so you won’t need to convince them of the value of this new paradigm.

As companies continue to explore the possibility of personalized production and mass customization, they inevitably spend an inordinate amount of time assessing the pretty front-end, consumer-facing software. And let’s face it: all those rotating 3D renderings of your product are really cool to look at. But that’s not where leaders should be investing their time. It’s the order management system in the back-end, and the integration with the sexy front-end, that makes a personalization program successful. . . or dooms it to failure.

Is a made-to-order strategy feasible for apparel, footwear, and accessories? Fast Company just published an excellent article on how some smaller brands are thriving by abandoning the industry standard build-to-forecast approach, and instead adopting a made-to-order strategy.

A common mistake is viewing mass customization as simply a marketing expense, requiring enormous investments of time and money. But properly done, a mass customization program can be a significant engine of profit. Here are three ways that mass custom boosts your bottom line.

A mass customization and personalization program delivers tremendous financial benefits to companies. However, when brands consider implementing it, they often focus on the up-front software cost. That’s the wrong thing to focus on. Of course, initial cost is a factor, but it’s by far the least important consideration. Here’s what you should be thinking about.