Publications
Publications
- February 2025
- HBS Case Collection
Managing Complexity at mymuesli
By: Thomas Graeber and Stacy Straaberg
Abstract
In April 2009, direct-to-consumer e-commerce muesli brand mymuesli faced a flood of customer questions. The breakfast cereal startup enabled users to order personalized muesli on its website by choosing from 75 organic ingredients for a total of 566 quadrillion potential muesli combinations. mymuesli’s customization process offered a competitive advantage over store-bought brands by allowing consumers to satisfy dietary needs and wants. However, co-founder Hubertus Bessau found customization was a double-edged sword: “People love customization but hate to customize.” While some users knew exactly what they wanted and proceeded through the customization process in minutes, others spent hours, sometimes contacting mymuesli for advice or abandoning the purchase altogether. Bessau wondered if the company could limit customer questions and increase order completion rates and sales by simplifying mymuesli’s customer journey (e.g., through reducing the number of ingredients to choose from and/or by adding pre-packaged muesli options). However, would making changes to mymuesli’s product strategy put the startup’s customization core competency at risk?
Keywords
Customer Satisfaction; Decisions; Food; Product Marketing; Product Positioning; Product Launch; Problems and Challenges; Behavior; Competitive Advantage; Customization and Personalization; Segmentation; Internet and the Web; Food and Beverage Industry; Europe; Germany
Citation
Graeber, Thomas, and Stacy Straaberg. "Managing Complexity at mymuesli." Harvard Business School Case 925-008, February 2025.