About the ROI of 3D configurators in e-commerce
Simple web stores are a thing of the past. If you want to equip your sales department for the future, you should consider implementing a 3D configurator. The investment is definitely worth it – the return on investment (ROI) extends across all stakeholders and partner networks. This allows you to create completely new, digital business models.
When I talk to people about 3D configurators, I often hear sentences like: "A configurator? Too little budget!" or "Great solution, but we have to take care of our internal processes first" or "Super exciting, but it won't work for us. Do you do anything with AI?"
These excuses are partly justified. For some products, a configurator with real-time rendering and augmented reality does not create enough potential added value. All too often, however, important clues are overlooked that are well worth a closer look. Don't have time for this? Your competitors will be delighted because they will find a gap in the market and fill it before you do.
Don't waste any time and set yourself up for digital sales. Take advantage of the modern possibilities for personalizing your products. Not only will you gain immediate efficiency, but also valuable data for future business models.
Why invest in a configurator web store?
To approach the topic of digitalization, you have to look at it from a different perspective. I can understand that it is not easy to leave the current reality, day-to-day business, and the past behind. Bringing your products and services closer to your customers is costly, resource-intensive, and time-consuming. And it has somehow worked so far.
Technologies and purchasing behavior are developing rapidly
However, digital technologies have developed immensely in the recent past. For example, robust headless e-commerce solutions such as Saleor can be used to build a lot of things and digitally map complex development and sales processes with a very good, individual experience for different customer groups.
Do you already use a PIM system or ERP software such as SAP? You won't believe how much you can automate on the customer side! Think of it like this: Your existing system is the back end. With a configurator, you get the necessary front end so that your customers can also benefit directly from the information relevant to them in the system. Add Artificial Intelligence (AI) and your customers will be guided through your sales process in perfect digital form.
Of course, you can still say "We don't need that at the moment". However, purchasing behavior and expectations in the B2B and B2C sectors will continue to develop strongly in this direction. In the future, we will use AI and autonomous digital platforms to support us in our purchasing decisions and make suggestions. And the interfaces will also change significantly. We currently spend a lot of time sitting at a PC and navigating graphical user interfaces with a mouse and keyboard. In the future, however, we will be much more interactive and immersive on the move and control apps with 3D interfaces using voice and gestures as a matter of course.
Customers prefer fast digital solutions
The flood of information and options makes time our most important commodity and sustainable digital solutions will continue to gain in importance. In the future, it will be less and less likely that your customers will take 3 days to discuss a complex product with one of your sales representatives. They will compare in advance and choose the company whose solution is the easiest to access digitally and offers the best digital experience.
Take a look at the 3D configurator from Thömus, for example. It allows bike enthusiasts to design their own personal Thömus bike down to the smallest detail, from the frame to the tires to the seat. All in real-time, with precise 3D visualizations directly in the browser. The technology solution is expandable and flexible and can be migrated to any server. This makes the Thömus configurator incomparably scalable and also adaptable to the requirements of new franchise partners or new target markets.
Every detail can be customized. The 3D visualization shows what the bike will look like. The price and weight are calculated immediately. If you want to try it out for yourself: configurator.thoemus.ch
Which products are suitable for a 3D configurator?
In principle, you can visualize any product and pack it into a configurator. I would say that there is no product or service for which I cannot find a business case. The crucial question is not "if", but "How big is the added value and what does the business case look like".
Investing in a 3D configurator brings the greatest added value for complex or technical products that require expert knowledge. With the help of visualizations and AI, products become tangible. Customers get a clear picture of their desired product before it has even been produced and without having to go anywhere.
Bundle of products and services
If you offer several product categories, start with one and then gradually expand your range. For most companies, it doesn't make sense to develop a logic for the entire portfolio right away. Instead, try to break up the portfolio and create a bundle of products and services for a defined market for which a digital end-to-end experience is worthwhile.
There is often a crystallization core that can be easily expanded with other business areas, new partners, or smart services, for example with additional product and service categories. In this way, a 3D configurator can open up completely new business opportunities. In the best-case scenario, you can even save considerable costs for sales staff and, depending on the area, for sales partners or other intermediaries in the medium term. Sight word: Cutting out the middleman.
Added value of a 3D configurator
Once you have found your crystallization core, think about which user groups, platforms, and services you can integrate and what added value you can offer your users. The added value of configurable 3D visualization is of course diverse. The benefits of a 3D configurator vary greatly depending on the product bundle.
A few concrete examples
Finally a common language
With complex products, it is difficult to coordinate different contacts in such a way that orders are executed quickly and without errors the first time. With a visualized product, you can bring all key users together in a structured process – in a language that everyone understands, from customers to sales and production.Individual experience
Buying the right software or machine? Pure chaos! The ingredients for outstanding shopping experiences are relatively simple: We get the right information at the right time and it is congruent with our goals. Put an end to the chaos and use headless e-commerce to inspire different user groups with individual end-to-end experiences.A gateway to industry 5.0
Expand your smart factory with direct interfaces to various user groups. With this often missing piece of the puzzle, you can autonomize customer-facing areas and product development to a new degree.+40 % conversion, +30 % turnover
You can achieve up to 40% higher conversion rates and 30% more sales by replacing 2D product ads with 3D. (Source: Forbes)Lower costs and higher margins
Acquiring customers is expensive, especially if you rely on customer proximity and partners. With a smart digital solution, you can pick up your customers directly, reduce costs, and increase your value creation potential at the same time.Mass customization of products
A modern 3D configurator paired with AI is perfect for fulfilling the individual wishes of the masses for a product. With digital tools (e.g. AI chatbots, interfaces to other platforms, online advice), you can provide your customers with exactly what they want, even for complex products.More value
The more time users spend configuring their perfect product, the greater the value for them. And the better the product suits them, the more they will use, love, cherish, and care for it.Fewer exchanges
Customers who know exactly what they are buying beforehand are also less likely to exchange the product configured to their wishes and save you these costs.Decisions based on data
The data that a configurator provides you with is a wonderful basis for optimizing the entire internal and external value-creation process. Where do your customers abandon the process? Which products are they missing? If you have this information, you can adapt accordingly.Immediate information
The data stored in a configurator is also of great benefit to your customers: With a bill of materials, your users can find out immediately when something is available and how much it will cost.New possibilities for marketing
Gimmicks with (pre-)configurations and AI motivate you to explore your products and customize them to specific needs. You could also work with product configurations from pioneers (B2B) or influencers (B2C) to market new, unique products.Sustainable, expandable solution
A configurator gives you all kinds of options for expanding it. These could be additional interactions or gimmicks with augmented or virtual reality. Or you can use AI to translate your offer into another language and offer it in another country.
Who else benefits from a configurator
Imagine your 3D configurator with a headless e-commerce system is fully integrated into your production and into your CRM, ERP, PLM, CAD, .... Who benefits from this, and how?
For the reasons mentioned above, a selection and configuration experience is advantageous for customers and, of course, for the company itself. But other groups also benefit:
Employees
With a centralized system, you enable your employees to work in a user-friendly and up-to-date system and save them a lot of effort. Your employees will change from "This is how I have to present it so that the customer is satisfied" to "This is how we do it, this is what we can do". They become valuable advocates for your company.Investors and shareholders
A business case based on figures and data will also please your investors and shareholders.Partners
With the integration of APIs, you enable your partners along your entire value chain to easily integrate their products into your portfolio. They enable them to efficiently develop solutions together with your employees directly in your system.
New business models are emerging
The key point here is that the data and insights you gather when experimenting with new digital service and sales concepts are extremely valuable. Valid information allows you to diversify your product portfolio, tap into new market segments and ultimately develop or become part of autonomous network business models. All this with processes of unprecedented efficiency.
So don't miss out on experimenting with new sales channels now so that you don't lose touch with your customers in the digitalized world. Because in 5 to 10 years, your opportunity costs and technical debt will be enormous and you will no longer be able to catch up with the innovative companies that are already investing in direct, digital sales channels. I invite you on a journey to discover your business case.
