Mass customization is an operations functional strategy. According to the text, mass customization requires flexibility and quick responsiveness. Appropriate for an ever-changing environment, mass customization requires that people, processes, units, and technology reconfigure themselves to give customers exactly what they want, when they want it. The result is low-cost, high quality, customized goods and services. Mass customization is one way to support a differentiation strategy in a hypercompetitive market in which customers are demanding a highly differentiated product at a reasonable price. The customer is primarily interested in purchasing a product designed to its own specifications and delivered where and when it needs them. Even though price may be secondary to specific product characteristics, it cannot be significantly higher than the price for a mass produced good.