What is postponement strategy?

• A. Incorporating final customization only after customer order to reduce risk and inventory.
• B. Increasing safety stock to meet unpredictable demand.
• C. Moving all production to a centralized facility.
• D. Outsourcing all procurement activities.

Answer: (B)

Postponement means delaying final customization or differentiation until a customer order is received. The idea is to keep products in a generic, undecorated form and only add the specific features or finishes after demand is known. This reduces the risk of having the wrong variant or excess inventory that may go unsold.

For example, a company might manufacture a standard computer chassis and core components but only install the exact memory, storage, operating system, and peripherals after a customer places an order. That way, they keep inventory flexible and closer to actual demand, rather than guessing which configurations will sell.

This concept is why the option describing final customization occurring after the customer order is the best fit for postponement. Increasing safety stock describes buffering demand with more inventory, which is not postponement. Moving production to a centralized facility or outsourcing procurement addresses other supply chain decisions, but not the postponement approach of delaying differentiation.