The diverse applications of 3D configurators in various industries
From the automotive industry to healthcare and beyond, 3D configurators are improving User Experience. Let's take a look at how these powerful tools are making waves in different industries and setting new standards for engagement and efficiency.
Individualization and interactive experiences are very popular with online stores. 3D configurators serve as revolutionary tools: They allow end consumers to design products down to the smallest detail according to their wishes and bring imagination and reality together. The use of 3D configurators is by no means limited to online stores for products. From virtual tours for real estate to training courses – many different companies benefit from the technology.
Checklist: For which companies is a 3D configurator suitable?
3D configuration offers great advantages and there is enormous potential for certain companies. However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for every company and every industry. If the following points apply to your company, you should consider configuration technology:
Your products are complex, customizable, or modular and require detailed understanding.
You value premium quality and customer experience.
Your sales processes extend beyond your own national borders.
You operate in a highly competitive market where innovation is in demand.
You strive for growth through your enthusiasm for cutting-edge technology.
You are open to deep ERP and CRM integration.
You make decisions based on data.
Standing out from the competition through added value
Digital commerce continues to pick up speed. Mega platforms such as Amazon offer millions of products and the price war is extremely tough. There is only one way to avoid this battle: You need to stand out from the competition by offering your customers unique added value.
3D configuration is a powerful tool when it comes to taking on a premium role with innovation and outstanding service. A 3D configurator allows your customers a high degree of personalization and your company to be unique. If this is in line with your business goals, you should think carefully about introducing new technologies.
A look at selected industries
The following use cases range from established to visionary concepts that are still waiting to be realized. Let yourself be inspired and imagine how this technology could enable groundbreaking innovations in your industry.
1
Automotive: Interactive customization
In the automotive sector, 3D configurators are ushering in a new era of individualization and allow users to customize their dream vehicle. Users can change colors, wheels, interior fittings and much more and view the results in real time. This immersive experience increases customer satisfaction, supports the decision-making process and makes buying a car an interactive experience.
2
Retail: Product personalization & AR placement
Retailers are harnessing the power of 3D configurators for furniture, clothing and accessories. Customers can personalize products to their taste, from changing the fabric of a sofa to customizing the design of a piece of jewelry. The high degree of customization enriches the shopping experience and promotes loyalty to the product. AR placement and MR applications allow users to see and experience virtual products in their real environment before making a decision.
3
IT/software: Rapid development and plug & play integrations
Imagine you can see your entire value creation network, including all components and the various potential for optimization, and choose what you want to optimize with just one click. Configurators can be used to visualize, compare and thus optimize complex software and network architectures as well as the individual building blocks in a dynamic, interactive environment. In perspective, this approach enables dynamic optimization across network boundaries, which ultimately leads to more intuitive and user-friendly applications.
4
Banks and insurance companies: Advice and personalization
There are already alternatives to a 100-page contract that you don't read or understand anyway. In the banking and insurance sector, configurators are changing the way policies are customized and financial planning is carried out. With modern tools, customers can visualize their insurance policies or financial products and thus identify the most important things at first glance.
Insurance brokers or Check24 are tried-and-tested points of contact, but many people often don't understand which insurance is really the most suitable and what it covers. It would be great if you could configure your own tailor-made insurance and immediately understand what is covered thanks to a visualization!
Imagine this: You take out an insurance policy in an area where you see an increased risk. With a configurator, you run through a scenario relevant to you with different amounts of damage instead of reading through various 08-15 insurance policies (or trusting your insurance broker, who ultimately doesn't know what's inside either).
This interactive approach encourages understanding and engagement and allows you to make more informed decisions.
5
Real estate: Virtual tours
3D configurators have changed the real estate industry. They offer potential buyers virtual tours and the ability to visualize and configure properties before they are even built. This innovation provides a vivid insight into the future home and allows floor plans, materials and furnishings to be changed, increasing buyer engagement and speeding up the decision-making process.
6
Manufacturing: Design, prototyping and customization
In manufacturing, 3D configurators streamline the design and prototyping phases. Iterations and adjustments can be made quickly without the need for physical models. This speeds up product development enormously and reduces costs. At the same time, manufacturers can offer customized products on a large scale and thus meet the growing demand for personalized options in various industries.
7
Construction: Stakeholder engagement and visualization
The construction industry benefits from 3D configurators because they allow projects to be visualized in their real-world context before actual work begins. This facilitates stakeholder engagement, enables feedback and adjustments at an early stage of the design process, reduces errors and ensures that projects match the intended vision.
8
Healthcare: Teaching aids and visualization of operations
The healthcare sector benefits from 3D configurators through advanced teaching tools, visualization of surgeries and device configuration. Healthcare professionals can use these tools for patient education, surgical planning and medical device customization, improving patient outcomes and understanding of complex procedures.
9
Education: Interactive learning experiences
3D configurators are revolutionizing education by providing interactive experiences and historical reconstructions. These tools make learning more engaging and accessible, allowing students to explore complex topics in a dynamic, visual format.
10
Tourism and hospitality: Exploring destinations virtually
The tourism industry has introduced 3D configurators to offer virtual tours of attractions, hotels and destinations so that travelers can explore places from the comfort of their own home. This is particularly helpful when planning a trip, especially to unfamiliar and distant destinations.
11
Public safety: Planning and training
In public safety, 3D configurators play a critical role in reenacting incidents and planning emergency response. These tools help officers visualize scenarios, plan operations and train personnel more effectively to improve preparedness and response capabilities.
12
Infrastructure and utilities: Infrastructure planning and management
In the utilities industry, 3D configurators are revolutionizing infrastructure planning and management. Utilities can use these tools to visualize and optimize the layout of networks such as electricity or water supply systems before implementation. This enables more efficient planning and the simulation of different scenarios, improves reliability and performance, and reduces costs.
13
Service industry: Personalization and customer experience
Configurators also enable personalized offers for services with virtual advice significantly improving the customer experience. Visually seeing various customized scenarios in real time makes it much easier for people to make a decision.
Such digital solutions are actually quite easy to implement. Nevertheless, most service companies do without them. There is a need to catch up in this sector! Companies that dare to use a (3D) configurator for their service offering are sure to have a competitive advantage.
Successful examples of (3D) configurators
Mindnow's expertise with configurators is based on many years of experience. Back in 2019, we launched Motolino, the 1st Vespa configurator in Switzerland, a ground-breaking solution. Since then, our expertise has constantly expanded.
Today, we at Mindnow not only develop high-quality 3D models, but also integrate them into web platforms and enhance them with Augmented Reallity so that visualizations are placed in the real world. This holistic approach ensures that we can cover a wide range of needs and applications without limitations.
A good example that we at Mindnow are very proud of is the 3D bike configurator from Thömus with headless CMS, live rendering and AR. We even won a Swiss Web Award for this project!
Find out more about the technical refinements of this project and 3D configuration in particular in our article The rise of 3D configurators for customized retail experiences.
We are currently working on the next generation of advanced configurators. I can't tell you too much about it yet. But the sectors in which we operate here are definitely extremely exciting. A few years ago, these projects would have been hard to imagine:
3D configurator for robot spare parts: For a robotics manufacturer, we are building an expandable configurator that allows customers to easily order high-end spare parts, regardless of the robot.
AI-supported fashion design configurator: For a fashion brand, we are designing a fashion design configurator that uses surveys and integrations to create trends that designers (and possibly end customers) can implement quickly and easily using design sliders and GenAI.
Conclusion: Enormous potential in various industries
3D configurators have a wide range of applications and enormous potential – across all industries. They are great tools for selection and visualization, improve the understanding of products, enable collaboration between different user groups and generally increase efficiency.
The development of logics and visualizations for more complex products and the further development of these tools with other technologies such as GenAI promise even greater innovations that will shape the future of industries and enable experiences beyond our current imagination.
Would you like to sell your products or services online worldwide, differentiate yourself from the competition and create additional value? Or pioneer user experience in your industry? We would be delighted to bring our expertise with 3D configuration to your field!
