What does customisation mean?
Customisation is the process of altering or configuring something — a product, service, software interface, or environment — so that it better fits a particular individual's needs, tastes, or requirements. Rather than accepting a one-size-fits-all offering, the customer or user shapes the outcome: choosing features, adjusting settings, or specifying materials and dimensions. The term is ubiquitous in modern commerce and technology, from configurable cars and tailored insurance policies to user-adjustable apps, and it underpins the influential business concept of 'mass customisation', in which flexible production systems deliver personalised goods at scale without bespoke prices. Customisation generally carries positive connotations, suggesting choice, control, and attention to the individual. Spelled with an 's' in British English, it takes the form 'customization' with a 'z' in American English. As consumers have come to expect experiences built around them rather than around the average buyer, customisation has become both a marketing promise and, increasingly, a baseline expectation.
nounThe action of modifying or adapting something to suit a particular person, purpose, or set of requirements. It is the British spelling of the noun more commonly written 'customization' in American English.
- The act or process of modifying something to meet an individual's or group's specific needs or preferences.
- (In business and manufacturing) the offering of individually tailored products or services, especially at scale (as in 'mass customisation').
"Customers are increasingly willing to pay a premium for customisation of their products."
"The software offers extensive customisation options, letting users rearrange every panel to suit their workflow."
"Thanks to mass customisation, buyers can configure everything from trainers to kitchens before they are made."
"Full customisation of the wedding package was available for an additional fee."
The plural is rare because the word usually denotes an uncountable process. When countable, it refers to individual instances or specific modifications that have been made.
"The two vehicles look similar, but their customisations differ significantly."
Mass customisation flipped manufacturing on its head: the same production line that once could only churn out identical goods can now tailor each item to its buyer — Henry Ford's 'any colour so long as it is black' turned on its head.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of customisation
Customisation derives from the verb 'customise', formed from 'custom', which entered Middle English via Old French from Latin 'consuetudinem', the accusative of 'consuetudo' meaning habit or practice, itself rooted in 'consuescere', 'to accustom'. The suffix '-ise' (from Greek '-izein' via French '-iser') marks verbs of making or rendering, and '-ation' forms the corresponding noun of action. The compound thus follows a pattern common in British English, where words borrowed or formed through French retain 's'-spellings, giving customisation alongside organisation and realisation, while American English regularises them with 'z'. Its relatives include costume, customer, customary, and accustom.
Related word forms
How customisation is actually used
'Customisation' with an 's' is the standard British spelling; American English uses 'customization' with a 'z'. The word carries broadly positive connotations of flexibility and personal service, though in technical or design contexts it is sometimes distinguished from 'personalisation', which implies adaptation driven by the system or provider rather than by explicit user choices.
Easily confused with customisation
Customization is the identical word spelled with a 'z' and is the standard form in American English, whereas customisation with an 's' is the standard British spelling.