Today, 71% of consumers feel frustrated when their shopping experiences lack a personal touch. That’s when personalization is no longer an option—it’s an expectation.
Many businesses decide to invest in innovative solutions, like 3D sales configurators, to empower customers with custom products. This not only attracts customers’ attention but also builds their trust in your brand, which in turn leads to converting sales effectively.
In this blog, we'll go beyond the basics to explore:
- How interactive 3D sales configurators benefit businesses and customers alike;
- Industries where 3D sales visualization tools are driving the most impact;
- Best practices to implement a 3D configurator successfully.
Without further ado, let's get in!
Key Benefits of Using a 3D Sales Configurator
As experts in improving product visualization in e-commerce, we understand how a 3D sales configurator can quickly impress customers and increase sales. Do you wonder if it is entirely possible? Below are the key benefits of 3D sales configurators, clarifying why you should consider them for your business today.
1. Enhanced Customer Engagement
Without apparent visualizations, it’s hard to envision how the finished product will look. This can feel more overwhelming for custom or made-to-order products like furniture or kitchen units—they’re mostly made from lots of variants and tech combinations.
3D sales configurators allow customers to customize and visualize products on their own. Customers can freely decide on their ideas and see them from a 360-degree view. All can make customers feel more excited and interactive during their shopping journey.
The secret behind using 3D sales customization software is not just engagement—it's about stimulation for a long-term connection. Customers who feel like they're part of the manufacturing process are more likely to follow through with transactions.
2. Reduced Sales Cycle & Increased Conversion Rates
The manual sales process, especially for custom-made products with numerous combinations and variants, often involves lengthy back-and-forth communication for finalized designs. This can be frustrating and time-consuming for the parties involved.
3D sales configurators can help improve business sales cycles and conversion rates
A real-time sales configurator lets customers build, design, and see products instantly. Additionally, its automated pricing and quoting can save time and ensure high accuracy. This allows for delivering a smoother, faster sales cycle and helping customers and salespeople clarify your products—they’re crucial in leading to higher conversion rates.
3. Minimized Returns & Improved Customer Satisfaction
When ordering products online, there is often a mismatch between what customers expect and receive, especially for made-to-order products. Customers are likely to struggle with in-reality products, leading to a lack of commitment—a key to high returns.
With 3D product configurators, you can deliver clean visualizations from varied angles. This encourages customers’ trust in your brand, reduces the risks of sales returns, and attracts valuable word-of-mouth referrals in the future.
4. Empowering Sales Teams
The sales team finds it difficult to sell products with many variants and combinations. This is because it is almost impossible to explain and visualize everything through static visuals. The manual process of designing and quoting also takes time and is prone to error, which might make the sales team feel more stressed and even burned out.
Without the need for presentation tools (e.g., PowerPoint, Excel), the sales team can use 3D sales visualization tools to showcase true-to-life visualizations with exact prices. Another ideal idea is to leverage the role of 3D configurators in meetings to better your consultation skills and bring a more impressive experience to your customers.
5. Data-Driven Insights
3D sales configurators are genuinely renowned for providing data-driven insights!
Each time a customer uses your product configurator, it creates useful data. This includes which features they often change and which samples they prefer. In addition, you can integrate most of these configurators with CRM, which helps you capture customer preferences. Then, you can adjust your analytics to improve your products.
6. Reduced Orders and Quotes Errors
Mistakes in custom orders or quotes are embarrassing in customer experiences and expensive for your business. 3D sales configurators with rule-based setups like VividWorks ensure that all of the custom options are feasible and compatible in reality.
The 3D configurator can also integrate with ERP systems for seamless workflows. This allows for automating the data transfer and ensuring that every order is accurately recorded in production and inventory systems. As a result, you can reduce human errors, leading to an efficient entire workflow, from initial design and quoting to delivery.
7. Time savings
A time-consuming sales process can be a deal-breaker for both you and your customers.
It’s so important to consider this when working with custom products. You need lengthy consultations to explore options, satisfy customer preferences, and finalize products. Undoubtedly, this will slow down decision-making and strain your sales team’s resources.
With a 3D configurator, customers can take control of the buying process and explore all available product options in an intuitive, interactive platform. And instant pricing and quoting also encourage faster decision-making without needing the sales team.
Trust us: Happier customers, more closed deals, and a more efficient business.
Try a demo to see how a rule-based 3D sales configurator transforms your process.
Industries Benefiting Most from 3D Sales Configurators
Many industries use 3D sales configuration software to boost customization, precision, and customer engagement. Let's take a look at the sectors that are seeing the biggest wins in this commerce trend and learn how to adopt:
- Furniture: Tailored design choices
It’s challenging to persuade customers to buy custom-made furniture because they don’t truly imagine how the furniture will look in reality. That’s when 3D configurators can help customers build their own pieces of furniture from scratch or use predefined modules.
Web-based 3D sales configurators come up with realistic 3D visualizations. They can also feature 3D planning rooms to draw door plans and mimic your own spaces. After that, you only need to place configured products in the space to see how they fit. This is one of the top features to look for in sales configurators in the furniture industry.
- Manufacturing and Industrial Equipment: Precision-driven configurations
In this commerce industry, precision is the priority. Customers need products tailored to exact specifications, as mistakes can lead to costly delays in the sales process. This is when you need the support of 3D sales configurators. Everyone can interact visually with complex machinery or equipment, ensuring piece accuracy in every order.
- Modular buildings or Constructure
Many businesses have adopted custom 3D sales configurators to transform building and construction planning and execution. In these solutions, advanced rendering and modeling technologies are used to optimize modular structures in stunning detail. Customers can see everything they're building, from floor to exterior finishes.
Stakeholders can directly interact with interactive 3D sales configurators to optimize the final design of their modular buildings
In addition, 3D sales configuration tools can enhance virtual collaboration between builders, architects, and clients through simple clicks. This keeps everyone involved during project operations, minimizing unexpected misunderstandings and delays.
Note: 3D sales configurator prices would vary across industries as each requires distinctive features, expertise, and functionalities. Seek 3D product configuration experts to help determine the right product configurator for your maximum ROI.
- Automotive Custom: Custom vehicle configurations
In the competitive automotive industry, you should consider using 3D sales configurators. Customers can explore a car from every angle, showcasing its sleek design and customizable options in stunning detail. All are in an automation process, giving buyers a sense of ownership as they personalize their dream vehicles.
- Fashion and Accessories: Personalized style selection
Customization is a key trend in fashion and accessories. Many customers desire to own personalized items and wear them daily. You can find and inspire interactive 3D sales configurators from trusted brands like Nike. Also, setting up your product configurators with both basic and advanced options can satisfy a higher level of customer satisfaction.
Best Practices for Implementing 3D Sales Configurators
If you're about to learn how to implement a 3D configurator, it's important to know tips and tricks to optimize your performance. Below are the best practices to consider:
- Team Structure:
You need a cross-functional team that includes designers, developers, marketers, and sales representatives. Each member is responsible for a distinctive task, bringing unique, consistent expertise to your 3D sales configuration software.
- High-Quality Visuals:
Immersive 3D visualizations can engage customers at first sight. That's why you should invest in photorealistic rendering and detailed 3D modeling. You also ensure that textures and lighting are optimized, which is essential to build trust and enhance user experience.
- Platform Selection:
Depending on your business goals and demands, consider a proper platform for your custom 3D sales configurator. Whether it's a web-based tool, in-store kiosk, or mobile app, everything should be built for easy access and a user-friendly interface.
- Integration:
If you run an e-commerce store, it's recommended to work with 3D product configurators that can integrate with common platforms like Magento. This configurator should also work well with CRM or ERP software. All of these allow for streamlined workflows, real-time inventory updates, and a smooth customer journey.
- Configurator Logic:
A rule-based 3D sales configurator helps build product logic and can work with complex modular products to ensure valid and compatible product combinations are shown. This not only controls your product manufacturing but also reduces customer confusion.
For example, in industries like high-end design furniture, certain features depend heavily on others, which requires a high level of technology matching to ensure users' safety.
- Dynamic Pricing:
A good product configurator should begin with a dynamic pricing system, enabling real-time cost updates as customers adjust their product choices. This not only enhances transparency but also builds trust by ensuring no surprises at checkout.
Visual Configure, Price, Quote (Visual CPQ) is also an advanced dynamic pricing solution. It can provide true-to-life configurated products, generate respective prices, and ensure error-free quotes. That’s why Visual CPQ is known as an all-in-one tool for the sales team.
- Testing and Optimization:
Before officially introducing your 3D sales configuration software, it's important to test it across devices and browsers to ensure it functions flawlessly. You can fix bugs, optimize load times, and provide seamless transitions for each change. Don't forget to have regular updates and performance monitoring to maintain a stable user experience.
- Multi-Channel Optimization:
It's best to have your 3D product configurator work well on multiple channels, ranging from desktops to in-store displays. This will bring a responsive design to your customers, seamlessly supporting their access and experience on your configurator.
- Address Rendering Complexities:
Rendering is often used in complex 3D product visualizations. That said, don't use all of the rendering techniques in your product configurator; only use the best fit. And real-time rendering or cloud-based solutions are common choices to consider for your project.
- Analytics and User Feedback:
Last but not least, use data-driven insights collected from your 3D sales configurator and other analytics tools to track user behavior effectively. This helps understand how customers interact with the configurator and refine the product features if needed.
Case Studies: Real-World Success with 3D Sales Configurators
Let's explore the top three interactive 3D sales configurators below, showcasing how businesses and brands utilize 3D visualizations to improve customer experience.
1. Grand + Benedicts
Grand + Benedicts is a reliable Portland brand—an expert in creating and delivering custom shelving systems and modular designs worldwide. By partnering with VividWorks, it offered a 3D shelving configurator for its flagship, Lozier Gondola Shelving.
Grand + Benedicts’ 3D sales configurator on Lozier Gondola Shelving
This web-based 3D sales configurator allows customers to customize all product details, including size, finish, color, back panels, add-ons, and shelves. Once the design is done, everyone can see its instant quote, maximizing the transparency in the sales process.
"Customers no longer need to contact us for quotes—they can do it all on their own,"
Camilla, Director of Marketing of Grand + Benedicts.
2. Supra Cabinets
Supra Cabinets, a Sweden-based brand, sells its custom garage storage online using a 3D product configurator powered by VividWorks. The configurator allows customers to build, price, and order their ideal storage solution directly from the company's website. This is key to improving a time-consuming sales process and increasing conversion rates.
Supra Cabinet 3D Storage Configurator
3. Sankyo Frontier
Sankyo Frontier, a leading Japanese modular space provider, recently optimized manufacturing processes by using VividWorks’ Modular Space 3D Configurator. Customers can effortlessly build their mobile spaces, select sizes, design walls, windows, and stairs, and even finish their small rooms with lighting and other decors.
Sankyo Frontier’s Modular Space 3D Configurator
Both exterior and interior spaces can be viewed and controlled 360 degrees, bringing a true-to-life feeling to every space corner and strengthening customer satisfaction. As a result, Sankyo Frontier has grown its sales and efficiently expanded into new markets.
The Bottom Line
Our blog just showed you how to level up your sales with 3D sales configurators. Follow up on the best practices and flexibly adopt this 3D visualization technology to enhance customer engagement, streamline the buying process, and align your business goals.
Book a free consultation with VividWorks experts today! Don't forget to explore VividWorks 3D Product Configurator examples to inspire more ideas for your brand.
FAQ
- How do I choose the right 3D sales configurator for my business?
It should begin with defining your business goals in terms of product or service complexity, customization variations, target audience, or industry. When everything is at hand, you can consult with reputable 3D configurator providers or review successful case studies from your industry to make a well-informed decision.
- How do I integrate the 3D sales configurator with my CRM or ERP system?
3D sales configurators are usually made to fit right into CRM and ERP. They’re the kind of tools that are common under A.P.I.s or plug-ins, so you can easily add them to your site. In fact, on some e-commerce platforms, like WooCommerce, this integration is free.
- How long does it take to implement a 3D sales configurator?
Creating a mobile or web-based 3D sales configurator for simple products can take at least a few weeks and up to several months for complex products. Other elements, like rendering, modeling, and testing across multiple platforms, can affect the timeline.
- How much does a 3D sales configurator cost?
With the level of personalization, product difficulty, and integration necessities, there is no fixed cost involved in a 3D sales configurator. You typically have to pay from $15,000 to $50,000 or much more, hundreds of thousands of dollars even.
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