There are over 24 million e-commerce websites worldwide, constantly growing since more businesses switch their operations online. The eCommerce industry is booming every day. How could a business stand out in a field of different companies offering their products online? Well, customers love having products tailored to their preferences. That’s why so many businesses are now using product configurators – tools that make it easy for customers to create their own products.
With this tool, they are enhancing customer satisfaction and making the buyer’s journey simple without any pressure. Read this guide to see why product configurators are becoming a must for manufacturers, how they are used, and what some of the best practices for their implementation are.
What is a product configurator?
A product configurator is software that enables customers to customize or configure products according to their preferences. It can be integrated into websites to provide a seamless interface for selecting various product options, such as color, size, or any other feature. Product configurators are often extensions of Configure, Price, and Quote systems, which makes the entire customization and quoting process simple.
How does it work?
The product configurator works in a series of key steps. Understanding these steps is essential for using this tool effectively. The process begins with the customer interacting with the product configurator through a user-friendly interface. It is designed to be intuitive and easy to navigate, with a series of options and choices that the customer can select. Imagine you are selecting a custom conveyor. The configurator would offer different options such as conveyor width and length, it’s motor type and drive style. Configurator’s interface should guide the user step-by-step through selecting the available options, ensuring they know all the customization possibilities.
One of the most popular features of advanced product configurators is real-time visualization. As customers select options, a 2D drawing or a 3D viewer displays the exact product, updating instantly to reflect changes. This feature helps customers see exactly what they are configuring. If you customize a piece of furniture, the 3D viewer will show the chosen color, fabric, or size. It allows you to rotate, zoom in and out, and view the product from different angles. This immediate visual preview improves the shopping experience and makes it more engaging.
Behind these tools lies a rule engine. This feature ensures that only valid configurations are possible. It works by applying a set of predefined rules that regulate the compatibility of different options. The rule engine automatically limits the choices to compatible options, which prevents the selection of incompatible configurations, ensuring the final product can be manufactured and function correctly.
As customers configure their products, the configurator adjusts the price based on the selected options. This feature provides real-time updates, allowing customers to see how each choice affects the overall cost. For instance, choosing higher-end components or additional features will increase the price, while selecting basic options will probably keep it lower. It offers your customers transparency which helps them make informed decisions. The pricing calculation often includes all relevant factors such as base price, add-ons, and discounts.
Once the configuration is completed, the system can generate an accurate and detailed quote. The quote contains all the selected options, their costs, and any additional fees or discounts. Instant quotes help speed your sales process and make it easier for both customers and sales reps. The generated quote can be saved, printed, or emailed, simplifying the communication between included departments. There’s no doubt – the product configurator is an invaluable tool for the modern retail and manufacturing industry.
zipCPQ’s product configurator for Oleum Flex
Benefits of using a product configurator
Implementing a product configurator can benefit businesses and their customers, transforming the buying experience from selecting to purchasing products.
Improved customer experience
Modern day customers demand personalization of products to fit their unique needs and preferences. A product configurator helps them select options effortlessly. Customization enhances their shopping experience by providing a sense of ownership and satisfaction and strengthens their connection with the brand, cherishing long-term loyalty. As customers engage more deeply with products they have helped to create, their satisfaction with the purchase process improves, leading to positive word-of-mouth and repeat business.
Error reduction
When selling complex products that can be customized, ensuring all the chosen features are compatible takes work. A product configurator helps automate this complex process with embedded compatibility rules and validation checks. This automation minimizes human errors, such as selecting incompatible features or overlooking crucial product requirements, which can lead to costly mistakes and customer dissatisfaction. By reducing these errors, businesses can save time and resources that would otherwise be spent on correcting orders, handling returns, and managing customer complaints.
Sales Growth
Offering a wide range of customization options can be a powerful fuel for improving sales. Customers are more likely to choose higher-end features and premium configurations when they can tailor a product to their specifications. This option leads to increased order value and overall sales. Moreover, the personalized shopping experience can attract a broader customer base. With product configurator, businesses experience a boost in their revenue, providing diverse options for all preferences and encouraging upselling opportunities.
Streamlined Sales Process
Integrating a product configurator and a CPQ system makes the sales process more efficient and user-friendly. Sales teams can generate quotes quickly and accurately based on the chosen configurations, reducing the time required to move from product selection to final pricing and quotation. It also helps ensure accuracy in pricing, which helps businesses close deals faster and improve customer satisfaction with prompt service.
Market Differentiation
Offering extensive product customization can set your business apart from competitors. A product configurator enables customers to design products that are truly their own, which may not be available from other providers. Personalization can become a crucial differentiator for attracting customers looking for more than just off-the-shelf solutions. By offering innovative and tailored products, businesses can improve their brand image and increase competitiveness.
Implementing a product configurator
Cylinder configurator for Maverick Machine & Hydraulics
Implementing a product configurator can seem daunting, but breaking it down into clear steps makes the process much easier. To ensure you get it right from the start, follow these essential implementation steps for a smooth and impactful integration.
Define your goals
First, define what you hope to achieve with the product configurator. For example, maybe your goal is to increase your sales by offering more customization options or improve customer satisfaction through a personalized shopping experience. Be sure that your goals and objectives are aligned with your overall business strategy. Also, you need to establish some KPIs so you can measure the configurator’s performance. That could be shorter sales cycles, increased conversion rates, and more.
Choose the right configurator
To choose the right option for your business, you need to be sure you understand how complex your products are since more complex products require a more sophisticated configurator. Moreover, you need to consider the options based on ease of use, the level of customization they offer, and the ability to handle complex product rules. Also, your future configurator should be able to integrate with your existing systems (CRM, ERP, etc.). It ensures accurate pricing, inventory management, and order processing. It would also be good that this configurator offers regular updates, technical support, and flexibility to adapt to changing business needs.
Integrate with existing systems
When integrating the product configurator with existing systems, the most important thing is ensuring your data can synchronize with the selected configurator. Check your e-commerce platform, CRM, and ERP systems. You should also utilize APIs or middleware so your configurator can pull in product details, pricing, and availability data and push out completed orders for processing. It is also essential that the configurator can provide real-time updates to pricing and availability from your ERP and inventory systems to avoid overselling and ensure accurate quotes.
Set Up Product Rules
The configuration logic should be defined. You need to establish valid combinations of features, mandatory selections, exclusions, or any conditional logic that should be applied. Further to this, you should define how different configurations affect pricing. This includes base prices, additional costs for specific options, or discounts. Since this is all complex for your customers to remember, especially if they are not competent in this area, you should implement validation mechanisms to ensure that customers can only select valid configurations.
Test Thoroughly
Before launching, your product configurator provider should test whether everything works well before you go live with the new feature. Include a group of end-users, such as sales reps and potential customers, to try using a configurator to eliminate misunderstandings or other circumstances.
Train Your Team
It is vital that your teams know how to use the configurator effectively. For the sales team, this includes understanding how to guide customers through the configuration process, explaining the benefits of options, and using a configurator for generating quotes. The customer support team should be able to assist customers with any issues or questions they may have through the configuration process. Create user manuals, FAQs, and video tutorials to ensure that new team members can quickly understand the configurator and that the existing team can refresh their knowledge if needed.
Launch and Monitor
Once you are confident that the configurator is ready, go with the launch and announce it through marketing campaigns to encourage customers to use the new tool.? Don’t forget to monitor the configurator’s performance after launch. Use analytics to track how customers interact with the configurator and assess how it impacts sales and customer satisfaction. Collect customer feedback through surveys, interviews, or monitoring reviews to identify where to improve.
3D viewer in product configuration
3D viewers play a critical role in product configuration, providing various benefits for both customers and businesses. This interactive tool allows customers to visualize products in real time from various angles, helping them make more informed purchasing decisions. For businesses, 3D viewers upgrade the sales process, reduce returns risk, and enable more personalized product offerings. Here are some ways 3D viewers are utilized:
Enhanced Visualization
3D viewers allow customers to see products in a realistic and interactive way instead of relying on static images. This feature allows users to fully explore products and better understand them. This tool is particularly useful in industries such as automotive, furniture, and electronics, where physical attributes are crucial.
Interactive Customization
With a product configurator, users can modify various product elements—color, material, and components—and see the changes in real time within the 3D viewer. This interaction enhances the customer experience since customers have complete control over personalizing the product.
Reduced Costs for Businesses
A 3D product viewer can reduce the need for physical prototypes or samples, which lowers costs for businesses. Customers virtually interact with products, so there is no need for expensive physical prototypes.
Real-Time Feedback
With 3D viewers, changes made during the configuration are immediately visible. This is real-time feedback, and it helps businesses refine their offerings based on customer interactions.
Scalability and Efficiency
Once the 3D models are created, they can be easily scaled across product lines and categories. For businesses with a wide range of customizable products, scalability is essential for establishing the configuration process while maintaining consistency across multiple platforms.
3D viewer for Direct Conveyors
Online configuration: Key to modern e-commerce
Online configuration tools have become essential in the evolving e-commerce landscape. They are transforming the way we buy and interact with products. By transferring their business to the Internet, businesses are changing how they operate and dictating the processes for other companies in the market.
Modern online configurators need to have a responsive design to attract customers. As they shop on a variety of devices, configurators must function on desktops, tablets, and smartphones without any flaws. User experience should be consistent and visually appealing to maintain customer engagement and satisfaction. Mobile commerce (m-commerce) is becoming more important since customers are starting to buy products where they are most comfortable, so it is crucial for the future that configurators are mobile-optimized.
Successful online configurators need to be integrated with other e-commerce platforms. This integration ensures that the product configuration is reflected correctly in the shopping cart. The system automatically adjusts pricing based on the selected options. It minimizes manual errors and ensures that customers receive what they ordered.
Product configurators not only benefit customers. They also provide businesses with analytics and insights. Configurators track customers’ preferences and the popularity of different product configurations. Businesses can better understand the audience’s tastes and current trends by analyzing data on frequently selected features. This information can also help product development and inventory planning, allowing businesses to focus on popular or emerging product configurations. Data gained from product configurators are helping with marketing strategies and creating content that resonates with the target audience.
In conclusion, implementing a product configurator has become necessary for businesses that offer product customization. These tools empower customers to design their own products and make them feel valuable. With a product configurator, the shopping experience becomes richer, and the sales process of complex products has never been easier.
Our solution, zipCPQ, seamlessly combines a product configurator with a pricing and quoting system, ensuring that the purchasing process is efficient and error-free. It will increase your customer engagement by offering a real-time experience and helping businesses upgrade their sales workflows and drive growth.
Ready to transform your sales process and improve your customer’s satisfaction? Contact us today to see why zipCPQ is the perfect solution for your business!
