Why You Should Add a 3D Product Customizer to Your WooCommerce Site

WooCommerce has become a popular choice for eCommerce because it’s a free, open-source eCommerce plugin for Wordpress. This means anyone can modify, audit, and extend the code. It is also user-friendly, as it doesn’t need you to be an expert in launching an online store.

Why You Should Add a 3D Product Configurator to Your WooCommerce Site

Statistics show that WooCommerce is used by nearly 5 million stores today, which makes it 3.8 million websites. This is the number of active installs of the WooCommerce plugin. Data also shows that the present 2020 market share for WooCommerce stands at 26% of the top one million websites that are using different eCommerce technologies.

woocommerce site chart

No matter how high the percentage of consumers using

WooCommerce may be, there is always a certain percentage who still prefer visiting real stores instead of eCommerce stores. There can be a variety of reasons for this preference. 

Online stores have one disadvantage over conventional brick and mortar stores. Customers tend to miss out on first-hand experience of the product that they are planning to buy. They cannot really see, feel, or judge it in person.

Online stores offer pictures of the products that they are selling, but they are often not enough. This creates a lot of problems in decision-making for the user and their final purchase. For instance, a customer who wants to purchase a backpack would like to have a proper understanding of the product’s dimension, its material texture, and the level of comfort that it provides.

In several cases, especially where high-cost purchases are involved, consumers may feel as if shopping on eCommerce platforms won't give them the confidence in the product they require to make a purchase.

But all this can change if the seller uses the proper technology.

3D models of products has started to take the eCommerce world by storm. This technology has changed the entire game by providing customers with a near real-life product interaction. Online retailers are shifting from the traditional photography illustrations and techniques in the form of product images. They are depending more on unique 3D visualizations that attract customers’ attention and makes them comfortable with their purchase.

 

What is a 3D WooCommerce Product Configurator?

Simple 3D product modeling has taken a giant leap forward with the WooCommerce 3D product configurator, a software application that allows for virtual product customization on its shops.

A product configurator is an innovative digital tool that allows consumers to experiment with and personalize the design of the merchandise, culminating in a custom product. It not only helps eCommerce businesses in boosting revenue, but also allows retailers and manufacturers to sort out problems related to creation, promotion, and selling of goods.

motorcycle configurator woocommerce

While using a 3D product customizer, consumers can play around with product variations, changing product materials, textures, colors, and much more. This allows them to customize any feature they want and receive a totally exclusive item. Product configuration also allows consumers to see a 360-degree view of their customizable product so they can scrutinize it from all sides and understand it fully.

 

How can a 3D Product Customizer help WooCommerce stores?

From a business perspective, when shoppers are able to view their products from various different angles and views, it solves a lot of the retailer’s problems. These problems can be of varying degrees and types, including:

  • Receiving bad reviews from buyers
  • Frequent shopping cart abandonment
  • High rates of product returns
  • Low sales
  • Inventory overload

All of the above issues occur when the shoppers are unable to gain a full understanding of the product design by only viewing the pictures and a description on the website. Consequently, at times they may decide against purchasing the product at all or may get disappointed by the purchase once it is delivered to them—all because they imagined it quite differently.

However, now with a visual product configurator, all these unpleasant outcomes can be prevented.

Here’s why WooCommerce stores should add a 3D product configurator to their site:

1) It enhances customer experience & satisfaction.

The 3D product customizer opens up a lot of opportunities and avenues for product customization. With this add-on, shoppers can design and view the products exactly the way they want.

How does this actually work? The consumers are offered a base model of the product that has several changeable features. In just a few clicks, selecting these features can modify the product according to the consumers’ personal needs and preferences.

When the consumer is allowed to apply various design options to a product, they naturally learn quite a lot about the product that they have chosen. They will get to know whatever options and characteristics are available, what the distinction is between them, and how much each added customization will cost.

The fact of the matter is that users tend to enjoy the ‘creation’ process of designing their own customized products. This helps them not only envision the product they want, but also build an emotional connection with the item. It increases the chances of them making the purchase.      

Some very famous brands are already taking advantage of this new technology. For instance, Porsche is offering its potential consumers a chance to configure a perfect car as per their requirements. By using the 3D product customizer on the brand’s website, consumers can choose a standard vehicle and then begin trying various options. This 3D visualizer allows for customization of the car's color and 3D configuration of wheels, material and types of seats, vision and lights, chassis, leather upholstery, accessories, and wooden decorative features.

porsche 3d configurator

2) Shortens Sales Cycle & Reduces Return Rates

The 3D product customizer allows consumers to spend some time with their product and apply different features to it. By the end of it, they are already familiarized with the merchandise, leaving fewer or no questions for a sales representative. This automatically eliminates the need for any transactional calls, and consequently shortens the sales cycle.

The consumer does not have to wait for someone else to provide them with the information that they want, because everything has been shown to them by the interactive 3D product customizer. This is why Forbes has clearly stated that the online brands using 3D product customizer have been able to reduce their return rates by 80%.

 

3) It increases revenue.

The best part of using a 3D product customizer is that you can charge more for personalized products. You can also charge higher for a few specific options, at your discretion. Consumers are always willing to pay extra for products that are unique to them.

 

4) It allows you to sell effortlessly.

Selling a product with a lot of options can make the sale process convoluted for any potential customer. A 3D product configurator turns this around by making the process visual, engaging, and precise for everyone. Your potential customer can now see how their final product will look like for every choice they make: no more wasted time, confusion, forgotten details, or deception.

 

5) It attracts more customers.

Product personalization is the new key to customer loyalty. Human beings are always looking for unique products that reflect their personalities. That’s why customized products have been trending for so many years, no matter the industry.

 

Examples of WooCommerce Businesses using a 3D Product Configurator

WooCommerce has acquired 29.16% of the entire online market this year. According to statistics, the US online market alone will reach $735.4 million by the year 2023. This means that it is an effective leader of the global market.

Many brands today are adopting the 3D product customizer to boost their configurable product sales and provide their customers with the best user experience possible. Two of these popular brands are discussed in this section for your inspiration.

 

Craftstone Knives

Craftstone Knives gives shoppers an option to make their knives truly their own. They have a 3D product customizer that allows consumers to choose their own knife blade style, handle, gemstone at the knife’s back, blade engravings and much more.

craftstone knives woodcommerce configurator

This allows the store owner to provide a shorter and more convenient process for getting orders for their products. The consumers are able to build their knives the way they want until they are completely satisfied with the results.

 

Ana Tomy

Ana Tomy is another famous stationery brand that has taken heed of the increasing popularity of WooCommerce. They sell custom notebooks for encouraging creativity in writers. They have differentiated themselves from their competitors by providing customized stationary, including notebooks. Their notebooks are not just your average journal—they are personalized and individually designed using modern technologies.

any tomy product configurator woocommerce

The design aspect is left completely to the consumers. They are provided with endless choices, which result in tailor-made items. They can mix and match various elements for adjustment of design combination while creating custom notebooks.

The customization on Ana Tomy has been broken down into organized steps to make the whole purchase process easy for the consumers. These steps encourage them to personalize their notebooks and view their selections in real time through the product page's customizer.

 

Final Word

No matter what product is being sold at your WooCommerce store, the 3D product configurator can handle anything—and generate more revenues for your business. You can use it to set up a product with its custom parts and generate a final preview of the consumer’s personalized product. 

Threekit is a leader in visual technology that can help your online business gain that edge that it needs through implementation of a 3D product customizer. You don’t need to be a technical person to understand how our WooCommerce product configurator works, or to enjoy the full benefits of its functionality. We’ve designed it to be intuitive. It’s also well-documented with video tutorials and a live chat in case you need immediate support. We can help you let your consumers play with different options such as material, color, texture, and countless other variables in high-quality 3D.

To learn more, contact our team to schedule a demo.