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A Comprehensive Guide to 3D Product Configuration

Looking for a way to make your eCommerce business stand out? 3D product configurators are one of the best tools to use, regardless of your industry. 

Consumers generally prefer 3D product configuration over other types of visualizations, with 95% of people opting for interactive 3D views over video playback and 82% of product page visitors activating 3D views when they’re available. This makes it a critical tool for optimizing the customer experience and increasing conversion rates.

To give you a deeper understanding of the true value of this solution, the following is a comprehensive guide to 3D product configuration:

What is 3D Product Configuration?

3D product configuration uses an online product configurator and 3D visualization technology to allow eCommerce shoppers to configure and customize products in real-time.

While more traditional eCommerce platforms use a series of 2D images to showcase products, a 3D configurator will generate photorealistic 3D visuals that customers can rotate and zoom in on during customization. As shoppers choose different features like materials, colors and sizes, the image updates in real-time to reflect these changes.

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The right 3D product configuration tool will be able to essentially replicate the in-store shopping experience with high-quality interactive visuals that best represent your products. With the help of these product visualizations, your eCommerce store will help convince customers that your products are the right fit for them.

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Consumers generally prefer 3D product configuration over other types of visualizations, with 95% of people opting for interactive 3D views over video playback and 82% of product page visitors activating 3D views when they’re available.

What Threekit does

If you want to harness the power of 3D product configuration, Threekit makes it easy to digitize your entire inventory and present it using the latest in 3D configuration technology. Threekit is a full-service platform that solves many business problems across multiple industries and use cases. 

Regardless of the type of product you offer on your eCommerce website, Threekit's 3D configurator solution can give your customers the ideal product customization experience.

Threekit works for several B2C use cases, such as:

  • Furniture and home goods

  • Clothing and shoes of all types

  • Fitness and sporting goods, such as golf equipment and much more

  • Kitchen and bath products and remodels

  • Technology and electronics

  • Luggage products, including suitcases and duffel bags

  • Vehicles and individual auto parts

Our solution also works with multiple B2B applications, including:

  • Commercial furniture, such as workstations

  • Construction and building materials

  • Manufacturing equipment and supplies

  • Industrial and commercial technology products

  • Medical devices and healthtech products

  • Field service applications that connect with existing field service management systems

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How 3D Product Configurators Increase Conversions for B2C Shoppers

3D configurator software offers numerous benefits for B2C businesses of all types. Some of the ways these solutions increase conversions in B2C industries include:

Replacement (or enhancement!) of the in-store shopping experience

 

With an increased reliance on eCommerce today, more and more shoppers rely on a digital shopping experience that's as good as or even better than the in-store experience. 

Using a 3D product configurator tool, you can present online shoppers with top-quality visuals for even the most complex products. Then shoppers can interact with them in much the same way as they would in the store. This can effectively replace or supplement the in-store shopping experience. It will simultaneously increase customer confidence and inspire more purchases.

Visual creation

Using a 3D product configurator, you can fully visualize customized products of all types with high-fidelity 3D product visualizations. Customers can enjoy uninterrupted product views with full 360° navigability on one or more axes. In the process, customers can see every detail of their products from every angle.

Ultimately, 3D images in a visual configurator offer a much more active experience compared to basic 2D images and product videos.

Consumer confidence

3D product configurators can also increase conversions by instilling more confidence in shoppers when they’re buying online. 

For instance, a product customizer with clear visuals will indicate exactly what the final product will look like. These visuals will replace long and potentially confusing product descriptions that don't explain products quite as well.

Customers can also see all product options available to them — and learn about them in the process. Shoppers can learn how each feature affects the product's functionality and better understand how products solve their specific problems.

With a clearer picture of the end product, your configurator is more likely to drive sales as customers become increasingly confident in their buying decisions.

Self-service and buyer autonomy

Another way to increase sales with a 3D product configuration tool is to use it to allow more buyer autonomy. You can make the sales process more efficient for your customers through a streamlined user experience.

One of the ways your configurator can empower customers and allow for more self-service is by offering customers guided tours through your inventory. If customers can engage with virtual showrooms on their own and connect with each product, they'll spend more time shopping online and be more inclined to buy from you.

Through the use of customizable product templates, conditional logic, simple checkboxes and bulk actions, you'll be able to give customers more self-sufficiency on the front end.

You can also connect with customers at all points through the buyer's journey, from the awareness stage when customers perform initial research to the time they're ready to buy. In turn, you'll be able to take full advantage of your peak season while attracting more customers during the off-season.

More strategic sales team efforts

If retailers want to streamline the sales cycle, a 3D product configurator can function as an effective sales tool.

Using a 3D product configuration tool, you can boost sales by countering customer excuses when shoppers attempt to talk themselves out of a purchase. For instance, customers may worry that a product simply doesn't have everything they need. But your configurator can show that the product does include the features they need. 

Customers may also be uncertain about pricing. Dynamic pricing for configurable products is available for customers and sales teams to view using a configure price quote (CPQ) feature. This would update pricing in real-time with each new custom option. This gives your sales staff and customers an accurate quote every time.

Additionally, configurators can make upselling easier than ever for your sales teams. The right tool will:

  • Adjust the appearance of products during configuration.

  • Enable customers to make certain innovative changes to create a fully customized product.

  • Offer personalization options that make shoppers feel as though the product is truly theirs.

Reach more shoppers

Not only can you reach people within your target audiences with a 3D product configurator, but you can also increase sales for audiences that might be harder to sell to online. These audiences may include:

Older shoppers

One audience you can attract more easily online is older shoppers. A product configurator can optimize the online shopping experience for these audiences by giving them user-friendly controls, personalized experiences and visualizations of changes made to product designs.

Distracted or slow shoppers

Shoppers may also become distracted while shopping online, often by various online and offline disruptions. Unlike in physical stores, customers can instantly leave an eCommerce platform when distracted.

Using a 3D configurator, you can consistently engage online shoppers with appealing and interactive visuals, along with real-time image and pricing updates that reflect custom options.

Frustrated or hesitant shoppers

Online shoppers may also experience frustration or hesitation based on several potential shopping hang-ups. Thankfully, a configurator can help eliminate frustration and move more people along the buyer's journey with several key features.

A configurator can provide in-depth visuals that show exactly what customers are getting, reveal the final price for products during the configuration process and simplify the sales process. It also inspires people to complete their purchases. In the process, you'll appear more trustworthy to potential customers.

 

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What is 3D product visualization?

​Many eCommerce sites and product pages still rely on 2D images for their products. 3D product visualization uses interactive 3D images that take product pages to the next level.

Five Benefits of 3D Product Configurators for B2B Markets

Just like B2C industries, B2B businesses can also benefit from using 3D product configuration solutions for their eCommerce platforms. B2B sellers can experience advantages such as:

1.

A wide array of product and configuration options

If your B2B company offers a large selection of products or many potential combinations of features, a 3D configurator can accurately convey all of these products and present them with high-quality 3D models.

Business customers will be able to engage with your entire inventory easily and select the particular product that they want.

2.

Reduction of bottlenecks

A 3D product configurator can also help simplify the sales process for B2B companies by offering customers an efficient online shopping and customization experience.

Online customers don't want to be confused about which options to choose, particularly for a product they need for their business. A reliable configurator will ensure that customers can easily look for and select the products and features they need.

Configurators can also offer guided configuration with details about your products, educating shoppers from the moment they begin researching what they need. This will help move them down toward the bottom of the sales funnel more quickly.

3.

Easier repeat purchases

A 3D product configurator can also help simplify the sales process for B2B companies by offering customers an efficient online shopping and customization experience.

Online customers don't want to be confused about which options to choose, particularly for a product they need for their business. A reliable configurator will ensure that customers can easily look for and select the products and features they need.

Configurators can also offer guided configuration with details about your products, educating shoppers from the moment they begin researching what they need. This will help move them down toward the bottom of the sales funnel more quickly.

4.

Shortened sales cycle

Your customers may also have certain sales objections during the sales process, which a configurator can help overcome. 

The right configurator will help by:

  • Facilitating more responsive communication

  • Enabling customers to see products before buying

  • Detailing the price before they even reach a checkout page

5.

Next-generation of B2B sales

As B2B industries change because of the pandemic and other factors, it's important that internal sales processes also adapt.

Product configurators can help move B2B sales into the next generation in a few key ways. For example, configurators can guide customers through the research phase by educating shoppers as they customize their products. 

B2B companies can also offer more complex products and showcase them using a reliable configurator solution. Ultimately, a configurator can also keep the buying process convenient, moving B2B customers more smoothly along the buyer's journey.

Boost Your ROI by Using 3D Product Configurators

Every investment should yield positive ROI, which businesses are likely to see with the ideal 3D product configurators. The following are a few ways these tools can boost ROI.

Reduce returns

One of the ways a product configurator can increase ROI is by reducing eCommerce returns. The returns process is often expensive and tedious for businesses to go through, potentially setting them back while leaving customers dissatisfied.

In addition to lost revenue and customer dissatisfaction, returns also harm the environment. Many products wind up in landfills rather than be resold or refurbished. 

With the right eCommerce returns solution, you can avoid these issues. Specifically, a 3D product configurator can provide customers with top-quality visuals that eliminate uncertainty around a product. If a customer knows exactly what to expect when ordering a product, they're likely to be satisfied upon receiving it. As such, you'll be able to reduce returns successfully.

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Increase your ROAS

You can also use a configurator to help increase your return on ad spend (ROAS). 3D configurators can do so by:

  • Showing customers how products look from every angle

  • Demonstrating how your products work

  • Maximizing their appeal

  • Helping your ads stand apart

Sustainability

Another way to boost ROI with a configurator is to improve sustainability. A fully capable 3D product configurators will increase demand forecasting to prevent overproduction. It can also eliminate the need for energy-consuming photoshoots and increase buyer confidence to significantly reduce returns. All of these benefits help you save money through more sustainable practices.

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Three Advantages of 3D Product Configurators for Marketers

A reliable 3D product configuration solution can help with marketing campaigns, not just sales. Marketers can benefit from using these tools in the following ways:

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1. Increase brand recognition

Businesses of all types can increase their brand recognition with the right configurator. They can achieve this by:

  • Offering complete visibility into product details with 3D representations

  • Enabling automation of product page interaction

  • Providing opportunities to share augmented reality experiences

  • Providing customers with fully unique products

  • Creating a generally seamless shopping experience

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2. Increase brand trust

Along with recognizing your brand, customers also need to trust your brand before making a purchase. A configurator can help build trust by highlighting features as benefits, giving shoppers more control over pricing and addressing concerns. A well-organized configurator can also display reviews and give customers a sense of ownership. 

These advantages build brand trust by showing that you value the customer experience and the quality of your products. You'll also convert more customers into brand ambassadors by providing them with a unique and exciting experience while maximizing the transparency of pricing and other details.

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3. Get better customer insights

With more details gathered around your customers, including their buying behaviors, you can market to them more effectively. 3D product configuration solutions can enable your internal teams to gather more customizer data to enrich and highly target your campaigns.

Using the right configurator, you can capture details about people's favorite product and feature selections, showcase your most popular product customizations, identify where customers are abandoning the buying process and determine if pricing is affecting your customers' decisions.

You can also use the data collected from a configurator to build better buyer personas, further helping you get the most from your marketing efforts.

Other ways marketing teams can use configurators

Product configurators can assist with marketing in a few other ways. For instance, you can use configurators to:

  • Engage with audiences across multiple platforms.

  • Develop stronger video marketing campaigns.

  • Optimize email campaigns.

  • Enhance your social media marketing campaigns.

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If you want to harness the power of 3D product configuration, Threekit makes it easy to digitize your entire inventory and present it using the latest in 3D configuration technology.

FAQs About 3D Product Configurators

Have additional questions about product configuration? Here are some answers to commonly asked questions about these solutions.

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What is a 3D product configurator?

A 3D product configurator is a type of software that enables customers to interact with product visualizations. eCommerce websites can integrate them in the form of plugins that are compatible with both computers and mobile devices.

Customers can then configure custom products by selecting different options and view the final product from every angle with top-quality 3D renderings. Some configurators can also harness the power of augmented reality with a built-in AR API.

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What is 3D product visualization?

Many eCommerce sites and product pages still rely on 2D images for their products. 3D product visualization uses interactive 3D images that take product pages to the next level.

Using virtual photography, you can capture every detail of various products and features, followed by connecting them to a 3D product configurators. Customers can then explore these 3D models as they update to include different custom features selections.

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How do 3D configurators work?

A 3D product configurator connects to websites as a plugin on product pages. Businesses can then add 3D images of their entire inventories, including individual features.

On the front end of the website, users can customize products and interact with 3D visuals by zooming in or rotating them. A CPQ feature will also enable customers to see pricing. Customers can then finalize their order and complete it on the product page.

How to get started

If you want to experience the benefits of 3D product configuration, you can begin by scheduling a demo with Threekit. To get started, get in touch with us to learn more and find out how our innovative platform can help your business succeed.

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