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    Table Of Contents

    Leapfrog the
    Market

    How 3D is Revolutionizing the Building Materials Industry

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    Changing Headwinds in Building Materials

    What’s your natural inclination when you’re stuck at home all day for months at a time? You decide you want to update your house. That’s exactly what many did during the pandemic throughout 2020-2021. 

    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. 

    Fast forward to now. New storm clouds have gathered. With supply chain woes, inflation pressure and consumer sentiment change, the bonanza of the last few years is quickly fading. Some building material and home improvement brands see this as a crisis. Others see an opportunity. As the market tightens, this may be the best time to differentiate your brand from others.

    There are gains to be made, but they may not come from traditional or obvious channels. We’re entering an era where the buying experience, or Customer Experience (CX), is becoming part and parcel of the product itself. Those still relying on traditional product visuals, sketch work and manual post-order processes will get surpassed by companies who no longer tolerate conventional limitations. And the benefits extend far beyond an improved CX, all the way to the bottom line

    Advanced configuration or bust

    For building and home improvement, simplistic product configurators barely make an impact (if any) on customer experience. Meanwhile, sales and backend operations don’t change either. Now, with advanced online technology, product visualization and configuration have evolved to provide amazing buyer experiences and solid business benefits.

    For example, connected configurators use powerful online product configuration and 3D visualization technology. This allows eCommerce shoppers to configure and customize products in real-time.

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    Higher consumer confidence         

    When shoppers can visualize changes, you build trust into the buying process.             

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    Boosted buyer autonomy

    Shoppers like to feel in control
    of what they are planning to purchase, and a healthy level of detail counts.

     

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    Rejuvenated sales
    strategy

    Sales teams benefit by having a dynamic,  interactive configurator to showcase products.

     

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    Dynamic SKU management

    Instead of being overwhelmed by an SKU tsunami, you manage it effortlessly

     

    The payout from 3D configurator advantages is measurable.

    42 %

    On-site conversion rate increasewhen traditional product photographyis replaced with 3D configuration.

    50 %

    Increase in average order value with visual configuration

    Overcoming Product Visualization Challenges

     

    Building materials companies are continuously challenged with the product visualization process. Let’s say you’re showcasing custom windows and doors. Can your site show visitors all the possible combinations and let them participate in the design process? How do you handle customization induced SKU proliferation? Does your visualization play nice with your back end?

    Advanced configuration lets shoppers visualize real-time product customizations in 3D. When added to a product page, the configurator helps customers see what each product change looks like as they go.

    On the back end, advanced software lets business users define and adjust a product’s customizable elements. The result is improved business processes while creating an immersive online shopping experience

    Typically, brands encounter one or more of the following difficulties with conventional product visualization. Threekit 3D configurator provides a solution for each limitation.

    Typical Visualization Limitations

    Commerce Configurator Solution

    I can’t visualize my configurable products to SELL.

    Conventional methods include product display pages with default layouts, fixed UI/ UX renders and thousands of lines of code to integrate into your eCommerce website. It’s not dynamic, and it wastes resources.

    Pre-built 3D configurator

    An adaptive 3D product configuration requires no coding on your end. Instead, you choose rules that extend throughout your entire interactive catalog. Augmented reality (AR) lets buyers see how items look like in real world settings.You can even include parametric attributes and CAD automation for detailed engineer drawings and assembly.

    My current 2D documentation process won’t allow me to scale..

    Documentation created for each and every order strains engineering resources. It’s costly, prone to error, and takes a lot of time. This doesn’t help sales. And it doesn’t plug into your business systems either (information silos).

    Effortless scalability

    A 3D configurator provides the ability to add SKUs dynamically, while avoiding cumbersome, manual SKU/BOM processes between order and fulfillment. The entire documentation process is automated and updated in real time. And it easily connects to your back end.

    My configuration experience looks okay, but the back end is a mess.

    Outdated visual solutions don’t connect to your ERP and eCommerce systems. This leads to IT team frustration and requires a huge margin for error.

    End-to-end connectivity

    With a robust API, the 3D configurator seamlessly integrates into your tech stack. Convenient admin from a dashboard provides high performance, speed and accuracy. Work hours saved contribute to cost-effectiveness. Plus, it’s a highly secure, certified platform.

    Typical Visualization Limitations

    I can’t visualize my configurable products to SELL.

    Conventional methods include product display pages with default layouts, fixed UI/ UX renders and thousands of lines of code to integrate into your eCommerce website. It’s not dynamic, and it wastes resources.

    My current 2D documentation process won’t allow me to scale..

    Documentation created for each and every order strains engineering resources. It’s costly, prone to error, and takes a lot of time. This doesn’t help sales. And it doesn’t plug into your business systems either (information silos).

    My configuration experience looks okay, but the back end is a mess.

    Outdated visual solutions don’t connect to your ERP and eCommerce systems. This leads to IT team frustration and requires a huge margin for error.

    Commerce Configurator Solution

    Pre-built 3D configurator

    An adaptive 3D product configuration requires no coding on your end. Instead, you choose rules that extend throughout your entire interactive catalog. Augmented reality (AR) lets buyers see how items look like in real world settings.You can even include parametric attributes and CAD automation for detailed engineer drawings and assembly.

    Effortless scalability

    A 3D configurator provides the ability to add SKUs dynamically, while avoiding cumbersome, manual SKU/BOM processes between order and fulfillment. The entire documentation process is automated and updated in real time. And it easily connects to your back end.

    End-to-end connectivity

    With a robust API, the 3D configurator seamlessly integrates into your tech stack. Convenient admin from a dashboard provides high performance, speed and accuracy. Work hours saved contribute to cost-effectiveness. Plus, it’s a highly secure, certified platform.

    Threekit is not just a 3D visualization solution. It’s a business solution.

    The benefits of comprehensive 3D visualization and configuration extend way beyond the product page. Yes, your customers will be thrilled with the experience, and this drives sales. You also won’t get stuck with a technical and data mess that generates more work for your IT and inventory teams. Instead, the 3D configurator is a complete system that brings order to your business from the front end to the back end.

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    Fully Integrated

    As mentioned, NFTs for in-game microtransactions are incredibly useful for newmarket entrants. This is likely where uptake will first occur.

    Many emerging games that use this infrastructure to facilitate interoperability maycreate a new community of games around them that expect the transferability ofin-game purchases. Subsequently, this may generate sufficient momentum thatbrings this technology into the mainstream.

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    Follows Rules & Logic

    Who needs code?

    Why get all tangled up in code when you can apply simple rules? With Threekit, customers can configure highly complex building materials, even for products that have parametric attributes or infinite customizations - all according to the rules you set.

    The fundamentals of Threekit rules are threefold:

    1.  In the base product set up, primitive rules are incorporated directly in the platform. This can include spatial and physical parameters. You define what’s clickable and where they can move items. Any update is simple and automatically applied catalog wide.
    2. Visual actions (rules) and assets (models, materials, etc.) are built/referenced directly in the attributes. You don’t have to fumble with rules to say, “if blue make it blue, if red make it red”. Instead, you associate components directly to your product catalog, and the corresponding visuals happen automatically.
    3. Advanced rules and logic allow you to push the limit of configuration with parametric, nested and multi-product configurations.
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    UX/UI Expertise

    After applying your rules and logic, the fun really starts. Threekit provides aconfiguration environment that’s engaging and intuitive. Instead of simply browsing,your visitors get the chance to design what they want. For building materials, buyerscan be thrilled with a comprehensive level of information and visualization thatboosts buyer confidence.

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    Fast Track Through The Headwinds

    For building materials and home improvement, the next few years will be a challenge. But there are ways to slice through the headwinds. With solutions like Threekit’s 3D Configurator, companies can make a real difference for their customers. Threekit provides a great CX, reduces costs and improves your business from the inside out. And the results are as real as it gets

    60 %

    of online shoppers want more interactive 3D and AR experiences

    50 %

    increase in qualified pipeline customers with Threekit    

    2 x

    more website visits with Threekit                                       

    How Threekit Can Help

    Threekit enables home improvement and building materials brands to create and manage beautiful photorealistic, 3D and augmented reality product visuals at scale. We’re uniquely qualified to help guide you through the visual economy.

    Schedule some time with one of our product visualization specialists to see how