Have it Your Way

Recession-squeezed automakers salivate at the thought of persuading even more buyers to customize by offering easy, accessible options online. In a study published this month, Forrester Research analyst Baba Sheddy found that 66% of prospective buyers customized vehicles while researching price online. In a bid to turn speculative customizers into real ones, Toyota's Scion, Honda's Element and Saturn's Ion will let customers order personalized cars on their websites with touches like aluminum pedals and gearshifts, and springs that adjust the car's height. Because young buyers "want something that says, 'I'm unique,'" says Toyota's Jim Farley, the youth-targeted Scion will offer 40 accessories.

But customization extends to gearhead items like air intakes, enhanced exhaust systems and rear spoilers. As Jill Lajdziak, a Saturn executive, notes, "Many young buyers would rather buy an affordable vehicle and then have a couple of thousand dollars to invest in a higher level of performance."

One thing's for sure with young buyers: custom sells. This fall American Eagle Outfitters, a clothing company, instructed its college-age buyers how to tear up T shirts and embroider jeans — and sold 12% more jeans in the process. Nike iD lets customers help design their own sneakers.

But there's a limit to how far retailers will go to let customers fiddle with their products. Jonah Peretti, 28, who works for a new-media arts group in New York, tried to order a pair of Nike iD shoes embroidered with the word sweatshop. That's a swipe at Nike's reputation as a company reliant on cheap foreign labor. Nike's response: Just forget it.