3D configurator for the sale of custom products

What obstacles do customers in your store encounter when choosing and personalizing products to their needs? Are you able to show them your products in all variants, in real time? How much time and resources do you spend on it? How much value do they bring you, both in terms of time saved and money made?

There is a fierce competition for attention and customer retention. Competitiveness is particularly difficult at a time when spending on durable goods is falling - in 2022 by 3.2%. Therefore, it is worth considering whether we use effective tools to sell products. Photos or visualizations are helpful in online sales, but they do not give consumers full knowledge about the appearance of the product and its capabilities.

How does the product configurator work?

The 3D product configurator allows users to customize the product to their individual needs. The customer can choose the material, color, size or accessories while seeing its dynamically changing appearance in 3D. When the decision on the final variant is made, the tool smoothly transfers the user to the payment, booking or summary in another form.

The configurator opens new visualization possibilities in the form of high-quality 3D content, automates the sales process and, if necessary, the production process. It is also worth mentioning the greater involvement of consumers in the purchasing process.

Thanks to dynamic 3D visualization, customers can see exactly how the product will look in the configurator before making a purchase, which helps reduce the number of returns.

How much does the 3D product configurator cost?

The cost of the 3D configurator depends on e.g. from the availability of high-quality 3D models, the number of attributes and products to be configured. Integration with the shop platform is also important, preferably on one of the popular shop platforms (SAAS) such as WooCommerce, Shopify, Shoper, Presta, Magento. The current software market allows you to create a configurator not only for giants such as Ikea or Wayfair, but also for small and medium-sized manufacturers or sellers. The digital tools market is full of opportunities for almost every industry including e-commerce. They are even at your fingertips because providing customers with modern shopping tools in e-commerce is crucial for every company. An example of a simple product configurator integrated on the Shopify platform is the one implemented by the Exclusive Spaces brand.

Is an investment in a web tool for selling custom products profitable and future-proof? The global e-commerce market despite the turbulence, e.g. in the form of inflation, high commodity prices is growing at a slower pace but still going up, in 2022 by 9.7%, and in the following year 10.4%.

Shopify, citing research published by eMarketer and Statista, says that online sales will reach USD 6.51 trillion by 2023, and e-commerce will account for 22.3% of total retail sales. China remains the leader in e-commerce sales, followed by the US, UK, Japan and South Korea.

The use of a 3D configurator in e-commerce can be a powerful tool to increase sales not only online. The configurator is also a very helpful tool in the work of salespeople in stores or showrooms. An example of such a tool is the BLU or Paradise Grills configurator.