Visual commerce technologies like 3D configurators, customization options and augmented reality are reshaping the way consumers interact with building material products, leading to a more engaging and personalized shopping journey.
Key Takeaways
- 3D configurators allow a consumer to customize a product and view changes in real-time, including granular details, in a way that more clearly aligns expectations.
- Customization options influence consumer behavior and increase willingness to pay for products.
- Augmented reality (AR) is a powerful tool in visual commerce, allowing customers to visualize products in their own space. This try-before-you-buy approach increases their sense of ownership with your products.
- Automated manufacturing outputs upon customer purchase reduce the risk of human error and speed the manufacturing process.
Engaging Customers Through Visual Commerce
Enhancing the Shopping Experience with 3D Configurators
3D configurators play a significant role in enhancing the online shopping experience for building materials, by allowing customers to thoroughly inspect the dimensions and details of the item.
One of the key benefits of 3D configurators is the personalization they offer. Whether a B2C or B2B business, your shoppers can customize products to their liking, adjusting colors, textures and dimensions to suit their needs and budget. Seeing their selections in real-time not only increases customer satisfaction, but also significantly boosts conversion rates and decreases the likelihood of product returns due to mismatched expectations.
The impact of 3D configurators on consumer behavior is profound, with studies showing that digital shoppers are willing to pay up to 20% more for a product they can customize themselves.
Customization not only satisfies the desire for uniqueness but also fosters a deeper connection between the customer and the product. A sense of ownership and emotional investment is created when shoppers actively participate in the design process.
Inspiring Customers with Virtual Photography
In additional to 3D renders with interactive capability, such as zoom and rotate functions, Threekit's visual commerce platform provides a Virtual Photographer. This feature creates photorealistic 2D images of your building materials, which can then be incorporated into aspirational visuals.
By showing the product in various environments and applications, customers can be inspired to new heights with their design project. This is especially helpful with complex, high-cost endeavors like building a home.
From a cost-savings standpoint, Virtual Photographer significantly reduces the cost and time normally spent on hiring a photographer, staging materials for a shoot and editing photos to ensure accurate visual representation of product aspects. Products are ready to be added to your digital catalog in moments.
Increasing Brand Loyalty with Augmented Reality
AR enables a level of pre-purchase visualization for building materials that was previously unattainable, allowing customers to see how products would look in their actual space. This immersive experience enhances customer engagement and increases a sense of ownership and connection to the product.
By integrating AR into visual commerce, businesses are not just selling a product—they're providing a comprehensive digital experience that aligns with the modern consumer's desire for interactive shopping.
Boosting Operational Efficiency
The integration of 3D configurators into ecommerce platforms has streamlined the purchasing process, making it more efficient and user-friendly. This technology has also opened up new opportunities for businesses to showcase their products in innovative ways, leading to increased sales and customer engagement.
With 3D configurators mimicking an in-store experience, businesses can save money by operating primarily or solely in the digital space, or utilizing this technology in a brick-and-mortar store via tablet rather than stocking every option for each product.
Additionally, businesses can track the trends in customer-selected product options, allowing them to more efficiently create and market new products with data-based demand. For example, a door manufacturer saw a 70% reduction in design time with the aid of a 3D configurator.
Visual commerce software, such as Threekit, also provide automated manufacturing outputs the moment the transaction is completed. With the automatic generation of a bill-of-sale, CAD design and cut files, the risk of human-generated error is low and fulfillment time is shortened, which increases customer satisfaction.
Seamless integration of visual commerce programs into business platforms such as PIM, ECM, CRM, DAM and ERP programs ensures transparency between inventory, sales and the customer. It reduces instances that may negatively impact operations and supports collaborations between your business and your suppliers.
Elevate your online shopping experience with the cutting-edge visual commerce solutions offered by Threekit, and see how we can help grow your building materials business.
