This article explores the key benefits to integrating a 3D configurator into your online platform to enhance customer engagement and boost sales. From automatic order processing to industry-specific solutions, discover how this technology can transform the way customers interact with your products.
Key Takeaways
- 3D product configurators empower shoppers to create a unique product that suits their aesthetic, increasing confidence and investment in the item and thus likelihood of a sale.
- Interactive 3D visuals of your product enable customers to make informed purchasing decisions, reducing the likelihood of product returns.
- The manufacturing-on-demand business model supported by customized product configuration reduces waste and shortens the product cycle.
- Automated order processing and manufacturing outputs enable more time for product innovation and streamline business operations.
The Benefits of a 3D Configurator
Increase Shopper Investment
eCommerce for bathroom fixtures, design and products frequently suffer from low sales compared to other home goods. This is largely due to low shopper confidence in the purchase. Customers want control over the experience, as well as input into the shiny new product they're paying hard-earned money for.
A 3D product configurator resolves this issue and turns browsers into buyers.
With interactive 3D configurators, shoppers can select materials, finishes, size and fixtures to create a personalized bathroom aesthetic—even if you haven't manufactured that item.
The ability to see selected changes in real-time encourages exploration and creativity, leading to a more satisfying purchase. But it’s not just the ability to see various colors, components, and styles—3D configurators can also provide dynamic pricing for chosen configurations.
By empowering customers to be the architects of their own spaces, businesses are seeing increased engagement and higher conversion rates.
According to the latest market research, 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences.
When retailers let customers take control of their products, customers are more likely to engage. When your customers engage more, they have a better sense of quality.
Because they've personalized it in the way they want, they also feel more ownership over their custom product, which means a higher likelihood of conversion.
Boost Buying Confidence
Humans are visual by nature. A recent study found that three days after presentation, people are likely to remember only 10% of textual information and a whopping 65% of content that has great visuals.
Providing high-quality visuals of your products engages consumers and relays more information about a product than a descriptive paragraph can.
For example, an interactive 3D image that customers can rotate 360° or zoom in on to see granular details helps them understand texture, sheen and relative dimension in a space. This mimics the in-store experience, without the time-based pressure and inconvenience of being in a physical store.
High-quality images of a product also reduces cognitive load on a customer, easing the shopping experience and increasing satisfaction.
Customers need product visualization to feel confident in a purchase. In a virtual reality world, 3D images are key to creating a digital showroom experience.
A visual configurator is especially helpful for complex products such as custom faucets, sinks, lighting and bathroom fixtures.
In fact, 3D models even allow customers to test how the product will look in their own homes, through augmented reality (AR).
Sales teams can easily leverage the power of product visualization within the sales cycle. Once a customer loves a product, enjoys the style and sees how that product will look in their home, the commitment has already been made. Finalizing the sale itself is simple.
Saving the Company Money and Time
The benefits of a 3D configurator extend beyond increased sales. With improved customer understanding of a product before purchase, the likelihood of product return due to mismatched expectation drops significantly.
Additionally, the platform enables a manufacturing-on-demand approach. This reduces the need to create, ship and stock floor models.
Automated manufacturing outputs, such as CAD files, a BOM, cut patterns and assembly instructions, reduce manufacturing waste and the likelihood of human error. The build team knows exactly what to make, and the customer gets exactly what they ordered.
With a wealth of information regarding customer behavior, marketing teams get valuable insight into market trends. This informs the design cycle, reducing time-to-market for new products.
A 3D rendering of each product can generally be created from CAD files, which reduces the need to manufacture and photograph every product. And the Virtual Photographer tool can then turn those 3D renders into thousands of photorealistic 2D images from every angle, without the usual time and cost of photoshoots.
This system can handle complex configurations, including nested and parametric options, ensuring that even the most detailed custom orders are processed with precision. A shorter lead time means the customer gets the product faster, increasing satisfaction and the likelihood of repeat business.
Improving Functionality of Existing Software
Studies indicate that sales teams spend only 34% of their time actually selling product. They spend the remainder of their time generating quotes, tailoring customization, seeking approvals on custom pricing and facilitating the transaction.
The platform includes a Configure, Price and Quote (CPQ) system that works in conjunction with existing PIM, CRM and ERP systems, improving functionality with a simple plugin.
Once your business has a fully integrated CPQ system, the buying process truly becomes seamless. Users report custom product quote generation being 10 times faster, a 95% reduction in approval time and 30% faster training for new members of sales teams.
The headless architecture of the platform means that not only does it smoothly integrate with a variety of ecommerce platforms and business operations software, it's easy to use and manage as well.
The robust digital asset management library, which arrives pre-populated with common textures and saves scenes, products and configurations as separate files, enables fast and easy changes to the product catalog. This flexibility allows employees to change product offerings in moments, adapting quickly to market fluctuations or changes in material supply.
A 3D product configurator can take your bath business to the next level by improving customer engagement and satisfaction, reducing manufacturing costs and making product cycles more efficient. Schedule a free demo today to see the power of visual commerce in action.
