I was thinking about it and I realized where they went wrong. They tried to sell a bunch of different cases that were modular in theory, then tried to sell the other parts. With all the competition from all these different manufacturer's, people would just buy the exact case they wanted, instead of buying a case then adding a bunch of items at a lot more cost.
They should have looked to IKEA for how to properly sell something that is modular, like their cabinets:
CM should have done the following the following:
1) Sold a flat shipped dissembled base chassis, this greatly lowers the cost of shipping and assembly.
- They could have added an up charge for assembled shipped chassis
- The discount from shipping, warehousing small boxes, and assembly from a flat disassembled chassis could make the price more competitive
- This could allow for more customization and reduction in manufacturing cost as you could add large or smaller vertical rails to make it a Micro, Full, or Mid tower.
2) Create a Case configuration page that could allow you to build the case virtually.
- You could see what it would look like and they could even allow you to see what it could look like with a 3D printed Maker parts
- Create shopping list of items you need to make this build.
- Create Package discounts for buying x + y + z, like car manufactures do
- CM/Vendor then can ship everything in one small box for less shipping than it would cost for a large empty box.
Currently you might like the look of one case, though it makes more sense to buy the more expensive case with all the extra stuff you don't need as that is the only way you can get that one or two extra items you do want/need. I don't need/want drive cages, 5.25 slots, and I don't want an extra side panel left over, if I can even buy the Tempered Glass panel. I like the front panel from the MasterBOX as it doesn't have the 5.25 slots, though I can't put a rad in the top. I like the tempered glass and handle of the MC 5t, but don't like the red mobo tray and red accents. The price of tempered glass panel is almost the difference between a Pro 5 + separate Temp Glass panel. Then again I don't like the idea of having a lock that I could lose the key to. I don't want a bunch of case fans that I will replace!
So whether or not they made money of the sale of the case is not in question, I think they failed on the modular concept as people would just buy the case that they wanted, not buy an expensive case with a lot of extra they don't need, only to replace a lot of parts on it.
IKEA has been selling modular kitchen cabinets and earning awards for decades . So much so I drove 6 hours to pickup my kitchen, from the nearest IKEA. This is what made them successful:
1) Their Design Tool, which is a lot more complicated than CM would ever have to do.
2) All cabinets are flat shipped and disassembled
3) Modular concept of picking different size and the inside colors of cabinet boxes
4) Modular concept of picking different faces/exterior trim, panels, doors, and drawer fronts to clad the above cabinet boxes.
5) Using higher quality components and well thought out design.
IKEA brilliant executed the modular concept and they even have to pay for retail space in expensive areas as well as keep a lot of options. The end result for them, is you end up with a higher quality cabinet, with endless options, for a lot cheaper. You can even go back and remove all the faces/trim and completely change the look of your cabinets. CM could learn a lot from IKEA, from an engineering and logistic standpoint they are brilliant!