Can you predict the exact needs of each of your customers accurately? Not without a crystal ball. Yet, fulfilling the needs of the customer is the key to success and the foundation of doing business. There is no gray area when it comes to customers’ needs. You either get it right or wrong. The former will help you win their loyalty, while the latter will deliver the customer to your competitor on a silver platter.
The stakes are high. Shopify stores have to fulfill the needs of the customer and also deliver the best experience online. Studies indicate that 32% of customers demand customized offerings. Also, 80% of customers prefer to purchase from brands that offer personalized experiences.
As a Shopify merchant, trial and error on the customer's needs is a gamble you cannot afford. The ultimate Shopify 3D configurator can enable the customer to inform you exactly what they need. This is why innovative companies like ROAM Luggage are adopting Shopify Product Customizer. So, why is ROAM’s suitcase customizer the ultimate Shopify 3D configurator?
Background: ROAM Story
ROAM is an innovative luggage brand and a pioneer of made-to-order in the sector. It was founded to address the shortfalls of mass-produced luggage and appeal to disadvantaged consumers. The main issue with mass-production is the lack of personalized customization. If you walk into any airport across the world, you’ll be surrounded by a sea of black wheelie bags. It is not some sort of unspoken uniform but rather the lack of customization.
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The me-too designs of mass-produced luggage suppress the desires of modern consumers to express their individuality. It also increases the number of luggage lost in congested terminals because travelers cannot pick out their luggage easily in the procession of me-too designs in the carousel. The founders of ROAM realized the potential in providing customized luggage that promotes consumers' individuality and stands out from the crowd of me-too designs. To make this idea a reality, ROAM adopted the ultimate Shopify Product Customizer.
The Solution: How ROAM’s Luggage Configurator Works
As a direct-customer brand, ROAM deployed a 3D product customizer on its Shopify website to allow customers to design their luggage in a way that proclaims their identity and stand out from the crowd of me-too designs. The configurator integrates seamlessly with the ROAM’s online sales platform and Shopify website. It is powered by an interactive 3D model of the suitcase that allows potential customers to explore and customize the carry-on of their dreams.
Customers can explore the suitcase using two features on the right. They can open the suitcase to scrutinize if the features and compartments will meet their needs.
The configurator is also designed with zoom capabilities. This feature allows you to zoom in or out to scrutinize specific features like the zipper, zipper pulls, locks, handles, stitching, wheels, and more. With ROAM’s 3D product configurator, you can customize the suitcase of your dreams in five simple steps.
The starting point for ROAM’s customizer (roam.com)
The customization process flows seamlessly from step 1 to step 5 by allowing you to build on what you’ve selected in the previous step.
Step 1: Choose a size.
The first custom option is choosing the size. You can choose from the Jaunt, Jaunt XL, Journey, or Globetrotter, depending on your needs. The configurator offers all the information you need to choose the right suitcase to meet your needs. It automatically takes you to step two once you’ve selected one of the four options.
Step 2: Choose a front shell color
In the second step, customers can customize their suitcase by choosing their favorite color for the front shell from seven different options. For example, customer can customize their carry-on with a red front shell.
Customize the front shell of ROAM luggage using 7 colors (roam.com)
Step 3: Choose a back shell color.
Custom options in step 3 allow you to choose the color for the back shell of their luggage. You can choose from 7 colors, just like the previous step. For example, if you choose a blue front shell in step 2, you match with a black back shell to look stylish.
Customize the back shell of ROAM carry-on (roam.com)
The step gives the customer freedom to choose the same color for the back shell to match the front or mix up the color to express their identity. When you’re satisfied with the combination, press ‘NEXT’ to proceed to step 4.
Step 4: Choose a trim color
For trim color, ROAM offers 11 accents from black, blue, red, pinkish, brownish, and more. You can also customize the wheels, handles, zippers, and more by pressing the ‘I’D LIKE TO SEE MORE CHOICES’ button.
ROAM offers several custom options for trim color (roam.com)
At this point, your suitcase is almost done.
Step 5: Add a free monogram
In the last step, ROAM allows you to add a free monogram with 3 letters like your initials for unique identification.
The last step in ROAM’s design process (roam.com)
You can also preview your suitcase to ensure everything is perfect. If you don't like any of the colors, the 'Back' button allows you to revisit any previous steps and change accordingly, then press the ‘Purchase’ button to place your order.
The Outcome: Why is ROAM’s Customizer the Ultimate 3D Configurator?
Did the customizer help ROAM attain the intended outcome? Absolutely. The customizer and its features enable potential customers to explore and design their own unique suitcase. When it comes to online shopping, user experience can influence the customer to purchase more than the quality of the product and the robustness of its features. For ROAM’s luggage customizer to be truly the ultimate 3D configurator, it has to be useful, usable, and deliver an immersive experience.
1. Useful
For any Shopify Product Customizer to fulfill its purpose, it has to provide useful information. ROAM's luggage customizer fulfills this requirement fully. For example, all the information you need to choose between the four suitcases in step 1 is available on the page.
ROAM’s customizer offers useful information (roam.com)
Whether the customer is concerned about the weight, size, affordability, or portability, they have access to the information they need to make the decision quickly. The specs and features like TSA-approved locks and water-resistance are listed below the suitcases. If the customer is not sure which is the right option, they can choose based on travel duration or check out customers’ reviews above each suitcase for quick decision-making.
ROAM’s luggage customizer is designed with two useful features that allow the customer to explore the suitcase, just like in a physical store. The ability to zoom in and inspect the design and features inside the suitcase is enough for some travelers to purchase. Fashion-conscious consumers can zoom in for inspection of all external features and determine if each design feature meets their unique fashion style. The ability to open and inspect features inside the carry-on is innovative and very useful. It defeats the purpose to design the most beautiful carry-on if it does not allow the user to carry what they need. Some people pack very light for 2-3 days of travel. Without straps, their belongings will be constantly moving from one side of the suitcase to the other. It disrupts the balance and wears down the carrier quicker.
2. Usable
The usability of a Shopify 3D product configurator is influenced by the layout, navigation, and user-friendly tools. The configurator is designed with multi-level navigation and only 5 steps for potential customers to design the carry-on of their dreams. You add some features in one step; then, the configurator carries your unfinished suitcase to the next design stage for further customization until you attain the perfect carry-on just for you. The features are accessible and easy to use. For example, if you’re concerned about safety, you can zoom in on the fully integrated TSA-approved lock to inspect its features.
Zoom in/out feature on ROAM’s configurator (roam.com)
All the colors and custom options available under each step are displayed in a simple layout to enhance user experience and make it easier to access and apply them during customization.
3. Immersive Experience
ROAM’s configurator allows the customer to design their unique carry-on by interacting with a responsive 3D model of the suitcase. The model grabs the customer’s attention and help them to see the value of purchasing the suitcase. 3D configurations immerse the customer in an inspiring and authentic journey of how suitcases are designed. It gives the customer full control of the design process, which is important because we all love our own creations. In step 4, ROAM’s Shopify suitcase customizer gives your imagination and creativity some room to run wild. You can customize down to the finest details like the color of the monogram, binding, wheels, and handles to create a suitcase suited to your personality and lifestyle.
ROAM can give you the purple wheels you’ve been craving (roam.com)
The experience is enhanced further by seamless cooperation in the design process between ROAM and the customer. ROAM takes care of complex features like the wheels and locking mechanism, while the customer designs simple features and fashion style with their favorite colors. Reducing complex decisions from the process shortens the journey while ensuring the customer feels like they have just designed their own unique suitcase from scratch. At step 5, the customer is deeply immersed in the experience and ready to handover their design to the team at the factory to manufacture it.
The Verdict: Was It Worth It?
ROAM’s configurator made the customer part and parcel of the design team, which can increase sales significantly. It empowered modern consumers who were frustrated by me-too designs of mass-produced carry-ons to engage in the design process and create luggage that proclaimed their personality and suited to their lifestyle. ROAM Luggage is now filling the gap in the market and increasing sales thanks to the ultimate Shopify 3D configurator. You can also adopt a robust Shopify Product Customizer to empower your customers and entice them to purchase with immersive experiences. A 3D configurator on your Shopify website can help the customer to inform you exactly what they need. It can increase brand loyalty and sales.
Threekit offers a Shopify Product Customizer designed with interactive 3D models, 360-degree viewer, and zoom capabilities. It can help Shopify merchants increase sales. Contact us to learn more from our experts.
