A 3D product configurator empowers consumers to create the unique building materials they need and visualize those in real-time, leading to greater buying confidence and brand trust. Beyond this, though, the platform can reduce workflow time and save you money by reducing waste and inventory.
Key Takeaways
- By using a 3D configurator, you can shift to a manufacturing-on-demand model, lowering costs associated with building, photographing, and storing inventory.
- The platform builds trust by creating buyer autonomy and supporting the shopper's unique product needs.
- For large-scale orders and B2B customers, your sales teams can use the 3D configurator to generate instant quotes and provide an advanced product demo.
- Detailed, interactive 3D visualizations improves buyer confidence by offering a wealth of information that mere text can't convey.
- This scalable platform integrates seamlessly with existing business software, such as PIM, DAM, CPQ, ERP and more.
The Power of a 3D Configurator
Enabling a Lean Commerce Approach
Building materials companies who focus on a lean commerce approach with Threekit's 3D configurator save on operating costs and manufacturing time, in addition to boosting revenue.
Threekit enables just-in-time manufacturing by showcasing your products before you actually need to build and store them in inventory.
You can order materials precisely when needed, eliminating the need for large inventories. This not only reduces costs but also accelerates the production process.
Additionally, by understanding the demand for these products via customer-driven configurations, you can respond effectively to consumer preferences. This buyer behavior data supports product innovation and helps prioritize the audiences to focus on through marketing.
Improving the Customer Experience
While the US economy shrank by 3.5% in 2020, spending on home improvement and repairs grew by more than 3%, to nearly $420 billion. The shift to remote work drove people to build work spaces at home or to relocate and/or remodel. During that period, DIY renovations and demand for building materials boomed.
But now, with supply chain woes, inflation pressure and changes in consumer sentiment, the bonanza of the last few years is quickly fading. Building materials companies must differentiate themselves to remain relevant and continue creating an industry need.
With a substantial shift to digital shopping, we've entered an era where the buying experience is part of the product itself. Shoppers demand a variety of product images, a seamless experience navigating your site and the ability to create unique items that meet their needs.
Studies show that ecommerce sites with visual configuration options show a 50% increase in average order value.
Utilizing the advanced configuration capabilities and powerful visual engine of the 3D product configurator not only gives customers something new and engaging to play with, it:
- Builds trust into the buying process by showing shoppers their changes in real-time.
- Boosts buyer autonomy by putting them in control of the customization process and giving them an incredible level of visual product detail.
- Streamlines business operations with dynamic SKU management, automated post-purchase workflows and headless architecture that makes the platform easy to manage.
Increasing the Likelihood of Conversion
When customers trust the shopping experience and the brand, they spend more time on your site, browsing the catalog.
But when they're able to use a dynamic product configurator and interactive 3D visuals to truly design and inspect their product, they're far more likely to commit to a purchase.
On average, digital conversion rates increase by 42% when traditional product photography is replaced by 3D configuration.
The importance of conveying product information through visualization is clear. Consider that:
- 82% of digital shoppers require at least five pieces of visual product content before making a purchase.
- Shoppers spend 27% of their purchase process researching products independently online, versus meeting with potential suppliers.
In other words, whether B2B or B2C, the people buying building materials are actively seeking information about these products online.
With a 3D configurator, interactive renders allow the shopper to zoom in for details on product texture and joints, or zoom out to better understand footprint and relative scale.
The image can be rotated 360° for full inspection of every side and an understanding of product depth.
This better-than-in-store shopping experience provides as much product detail as the shopper needs, allowing them to be confident in their purchase decision without overwhelming them with information or sales pressure.
Supporting Sales Teams in Closing
For large-scale and B2B customers, ordering online may not be feasible. But a 3D configurator still optimizes the shopping experience as a tool for your sales teams.
The CPQ software included with the configurator can organize, visualize and document outputs as you generate them. The result: sales reps can update customers on prices as they tweak styles, dimensions and finishes in a demo.
This makes it much easier for customers to make real-time decisions about whether certain features will fit into their budgets.
And when sales reps can end a demo by sending a complete, accurate quote more or less instantly, they’re able to shorten the sales cycle and prevent the communication disruption that might otherwise leave to customer drop-off.
Ensuring Order Accuracy and Speed
In addition to generating real-time custom quotes, the platform integrates seamlessly with PIM, ERP, DAM and other business software.
This results in:
- Automated creation of accurate BOM, CAD files, cut patterns and assembly instructions as shoppers finalize their customized purchase.
- Automatic orders placed to manufacturers if parts are needed to fulfill customer orders.
- Faster order delivery to customers.
- Cohesive internal storage of customized orders, enabling smoother support and faster re-orders as needed.
Aside from saving your team time and energy, the faster turnaround on delivery makes for a much smoother, more retail-like experience.
There are even more tools and features within the platform to encourage sales, repeat business and more efficiency on the backend. See the possibilities for yourself by contacting us for a free demo.
