越来越多企业希望通过为消费者提供定制机会来提高其满意度，却总在实现过程满意与结果满意方面存在此消彼长的结果，即定制悖论。该现象的存在使定制厂商在选择定制策略时面临两难境地。本研究通过构建在线定制策略（属性定制vs.替代定制）与消费者满意度的概念模型来验证这一悖论，并通过引入人工智能推荐系统来探索其对“定制悖论”的削弱作用以破解该困境。通过一个自然实验和两个情境实验，本研究发现：定制悖论在两种定制策略中普遍存在；人工智能推荐系统有助于削弱定制悖论所带来的两难境地；智能推荐在削弱定制悖论方面的效果优于虚拟助手推荐；虚拟专家推荐和虚拟朋友推荐在削弱定制悖论方面的效果存在差异。本研究在验证了定制悖论的基础上挖掘了破解这一困境的方法，为在线定制厂商在设计和优化定制界面方面提供了理论依据和实践思路。

Firms increasingly leverage product customization to bolster consumer satisfaction. However, this strategic pursuit frequently encounters a trade-off between process satisfaction and outcome satisfaction—a phenomenon conceptualized as the “customization paradox”. This paradox creates a strategic dilemma for manufacturers when determining optimal customization strategies. This study constructs a conceptual model integrating online customization strategies (by-attribute vs. by-alternative) and consumer satisfaction to empirically validate the existence of this paradox. Furthermore, the research explores the mitigating role of Artificial Intelligence Recommendation Systems (AIRS) in alleviating the deleterious effects of the paradox. Utilizing a multi-method approach comprising one natural experiment and two scenario-based experiments, the findings reveal that the customization paradox is prevalent across both customization strategies. Crucially, AIRS significantly mitigate the strategic dilemma, with intelligent recommendations exhibiting superior efficacy compared to virtual assistant recommendations. Additionally, the study identifies distinct variations in the effectiveness of virtual expert versus virtual friend recommendation personas in addressing the paradox. By deconstructing the mechanisms of the customization paradox and identifying actionable pathways for resolution, this research provides robust theoretical insights and practical frameworks for online vendors to optimize the design of customization interfaces.