Till today, our online shopping experience was based on ongoing images, product videos, and customer reviews. But, with the rise of an amazing 3D visualization technology, it was clear that simple photos and videos aren’t going to stay long.
Customers want control over products, on the other hand, manufacturers don’t want to waste their money and resources on unsold stock. That’s where 3D configurator software comes in handy. It’s a web-based solution that allows the customers to interact with the product in real-time by giving them several features and options to customize the product according to their preferences.
Sounds interesting? Let’s learn more about it, how it works, its benefits, and why you must use 3D configurator software on your online store.
What is a 3D Configurator Software?
If you’re running an eCommerce business and haven’t considered a 3D configurator, you’re losing a lot. Believe me, a lot. How? This awesome new digital solution has become a new bridge between sellers and customers by fulfilling customers’ needs and saving money for the sellers. It’s a revolutionizing approach in the eCommerce industry. So, what is a 3D configurator?
A 3D configurator is an immersive tool that allows customers to customize any product they want. What sets 3D product configurators ahead of its competitor customization tools is the fact that it allows customers to make changes in real-time.
They can go through custom features and select different options such as colors, size, textures, or anything else – all that with the help of an online 3D configurator software. It also saves production costs because it allows customers to make all the changes they want pre-production, which results in lower production costs. But, we’ll get more detailed information about its benefits in the section below.
Online shopping has become the new normal for buying things. The traditional visualization methods (photos and videos) are no longer enough to meet the customer’s requirements and satisfy them. eCommerce is only limited in the sense that you can’t touch, see, or feel the product in person.
Well, a 3D product configurator is a perfect solution to bridge that gap between sellers and customers and assist everyone with its efficient, optimum, and cost-effective solution. Now we know what it is, but, what exactly does a 3D product configurator do?
What Does a 3D Configurator Do?
The only big problem with online shopping was that, when you order something and pay for the product, you have to wait for days (sometimes weeks) to see what your product looks like in the real world. Often, customers don’t feel good and satisfied with the product they get because that’s not what they saw in the image. And that leads to higher return rates.
A product configurator solves that problem and its features are incredible. You can use it to customize clothes with different body types, you can choose different materials and textures, different designs for furniture, and a lot of other things. There’s even a 3D configurator for cars where you can select custom colors, rims, foils, and much more. These visualizations are pragmatic and allow you to see the product from all angles.
Why 3D Configurator Software is Important for eCommerce?
As we have already mentioned earlier, the eCommerce industry is booming right now, because there’s a lack of information about products and customers are getting progressively unsatisfied. Returning products that didn’t match the true image is annoying, and companies have to get rid of returned stock, which hurts the overall ROI.
Having a 3D configurator software can solve all these problems, and add more value to your online store. A lot of elite eCommerce brands have already started using this technology and their conversion rates have skyrocketed since.
So, unless you’re willing to be left out, it’s the right time for you to consider investing in an online 3D product configurator. It’ll not only improve your ROI, but also improves customer retention rate, brand recognition, and loyalty.
These are only a few benefits of using a 3D configurator, so let’s explore the other benefits in-depth that come along with these configurators.
Benefits of Having a 3D Configurator for an eCommerce Store?
We have already mentioned some of the benefits associated with a 3D configurator. The good news is that there are still many more that come with 3D configuration technology, and we’ll define each of them in-depth below. Here are some reasons why you must use a 3D configurator on your eCommerce store:
1. Improves Your Customer Engagement
A 3D configurator software improves your customer engagement in many ways. The most noticeable one is that your customers can engage with your website in a completely different way. They’ll ultimately attract to your product because it gives them control over their purchase.
However, there’s another angle you should consider. 3D configurator softwares are designed in a way to hook your customer for a longer time with your product. The more customization features you’ll offer, the more time they’ll spend tweaking around the product such as its settings, textures, sizes, colors, and other features.
This increases your website’s authority and has the potential to skyrocket your conversions in a few weeks. As your customers get more engaged and have more control over the product and process, they’re more likely to make another purchase, come another time for something else, or refer your store to their friends, colleagues, and families.
2. Improves Customer Experience and Satisfaction
Is there anything better than anticipating a product and being able to configure it to fit your needs and preferences? We all somehow see those AliExpress vs reality memes. And, we love those memes because that comparison is so painfully true.
How many times have you bought a stunning product, waited for the delivery, tried it on, and then you find out it’s not what you ordered? The quality is low, the color is off, or the texture is not right?
This ruins your shopping experience and leaves a bad impression of the store. If that happens in your online store, they probably won’t gonna buy any of your items again, might leave a negative review, and scare away new customers. By customizing the product and exploring different features and options, customers can learn more about the product itself.
That customization gives them that creative freedom that can’t be found during online shopping. Some of the world’s most recognized brands have already started taking advantage of this digital solution. Take Porsche as an example – their 3D car configurator allows you to choose between different vehicle designs, wheels, colors, seats, rims, foils, materials, and a lot more.
3. Shortens the Sales Cycle
The sale cycle is made of the timeline which shows when your customer first interact with the product and when they converted into paying customers. It shows their journey from interaction to the transaction. There are multiple stages in a sales funnel because customers usually don’t buy anything with the first interaction.
However, if you use a 3D product configurator on your online store, they’ll know more about the product themselves by just playing around with different options. Hence, you won’t have to spend much money on push informative videos, email follow-ups, or use other marketing techniques to turn that cold lead into hot prospects.
The better you educate your customers about your product, the faster they’ll end up buying it. With the use of 3D configurator software, they can learn anything about the product in a few mins.
4. Decreases Return Rates
We’ve covered this benefit multiple times earlier in the article, but it still deserves a specific place. Why? Because online shopping is so limited when it comes to product accessibility and visualization – product returns have become the norm.
For some companies, often major brands, it’s okay because those returned products can be later reused and sold again, either as B-stock or labeled as normal products. However, what if your business sells sensitive items like makeup or anything else that has to be dumped upon opening? You still have to offer a good return policy because your customers deserve your ethics and it improves their loyalty.
But, you’re losing a ton of money on discarding or repurposing the said items. That’s why 3D configurators completely solve this problem. Let’s assume that you’re using the high-quality configuration software.
With 3D configurators, your customers can understand the product more accurately, and they get the option to receive exactly what they bought online. While this won’t eliminate product returns, but, it’ll greatly decrease them.
5. Helps in Tracking Customer Behavior
Every store owner knows that the key to having a successful eCommerce store is knowing your customers completely. And, like any other online solutions, 3D configurators encourage different actions on the website, which you can later track and analyze.
For instance, if you’re selling furniture and you sold the same item 300 times. You can go back and see which customization options your customers are loving. Then, you can use this data to design and optimize your future marketing campaigns, while knowing which product versions are effective, which ones to feature in ads, or how to improve your general offers.
Not only that, you can track how long it takes a customer to configure a product, which customization tool gets used the most and learn more about the general sales dynamic.
6. Reduces Stock Expenses
Having unused stock is probably one of the biggest money wasters in an eCommerce business. But, your customers want different options so you have to stock up on different items. When you proactively spend money on stocking and storage spaces, without knowing which products will sell, which don’t, and how long it’ll take to clear all the stock.
But, in the case of 3D configurators, all these problems can be minimized. Here’s how. When a customer will customize the product, you’ll only start production when they’re done designing. Instead of predicting what your customers will buy, now you can get the exact product design, options, and features your customer wants, then manufacture the product accordingly.
7. Increases the Average Order Size
Recent research by Deloitte shows that customers are willing to spend more money on products that they can customize. This research also shows that customers are happy with paying 20% extra for customized products, also interested in spending up to 25% premium price for products that were built specifically for them and match their needs.
8. Customers Expect a 3D Configurator
3D configurators are becoming the new normal. We already have hundreds of eCommerce brands and online stores using this technology. Some of them are already using it for years and some are new to this. Because online shopping is the future of buying and selling, customers want to have more options to make sure they’re fully satisfied with the product.
9. Make Manufacturing More Efficient
Product customization, improved conversions, and a great user experience are only a few examples of how product configurators can improve your business. Believe it or not, this digital solution can modernize your manufacturing processes. A good 3D configurator software is designed in a way to help you automate the design-to-manufacturing process.
Your 3D designs should have the option to automatically convert your 2D production-ready files that follow the proper format. And, it should use auto-sizing to reduce material consumption.
How Much Does a 3D Configurator Cost?
Different factors determine the cost of building a 3D configurator software. How complex is the product? How many and what type of customization features do you want? Any specific peculiarity you want? Which company and when do you want to employ?
The costs vary, but we can still use the industry average costs to have an idea of how much it’ll cost:
- $50 – $1000 per asset for creating a 3D model from scratch – depends on the complexity of each asset.
- Licensing of your 3D configuration software – this starts at $1,200 monthly.
- $50 – $200 per hour for web development. A normal 3D configurator software takes around 25-28 hours to develop, which amounts to $1,250 – $5,000 (depending on your development rate).
Conclusion
3D configurators are becoming the new standard in the eCommerce industry. And, you should use this revolutionizing technology as soon as possible to get the most benefits. However, remember that only having a 3D configurator won’t help your business grow. It has to be a high-quality product, otherwise, it doesn’t make any sense of having it in the first place.
If this rings a bell and you’re interested in having a 3D configurator on your online store, contact Simplio3D in the first place. Their team consists of amazing people and experts with creative ideas combined with experience. They deliver the utmost quality work to their customers and work closely with them to ensure you’re fully satisfied with the final product.
