What is a 3D Product Configurator?

Introduction

In 2020, eCommerce sales came to 4.28 trillion dollars worldwide. The online sales market is expected to increase over the course of 2021 to 5.4 trillion US dollars. This increase in online shopping means that the world of online sales is more competitive than ever. This new reality also requires eCommerce companies to stay light on their feet as they adjust to the changes going on all around them.

If you own an eCommerce business or are considering starting your own online business, you need to be aware of the tools that can help to launch your brand to the forefront of your niche. Without leveraging these added-value technologies, you are at risk to slip behind your competition.

What is 3D Product Configuration?  

3D product configurators are the interactive tool that enables a 360-degree view. There are many different 3D product configurators out there that will allow you to use them as a plug-in to create this unique and improved shopping experience in your eCommerce store. Some providers include Zakeke, Expivi, SketchFab, and Verge3D. Each one has different characteristics which we will explain in more detail in another article.

3D Configurators improve the online shopping experience by allowing consumers to see products from every angle and even in different settings. This is a tool that allows you to customize colors, animate functionality, and experience a product before buying it without the need to see it in person.

What Can 3D Product Configurators do?  

3D product configurators can offer many benefits to your eCommerce store. These benefits range from an improved purchase process for your customers to an improved demonstration of the value of the products and services that you are selling.

    1. Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ)  

This is one of the most valuable features that 3D product configurators can offer your eCommerce business. CPQ stands for configure, price, quote and this plug-in allows your business to offer up quotes for products. This makes it far easier to sell complex items with a high degree of configuration offered in their design.

This benefit of 3D product configurators allows your sales team to get involved after your customers have already selected most of the styling of their products. In fact, they may not even have to get involved in most of the sales that your eCommerce site processes if you leverage CPQ, especially if you are using an automated eCommerce platform such as WooCommerce, Magento, Shopify, Opencart, PrestaShop, BigCommerce, Salesforce CommerceCloud, NetSuite, Etsy, etc.

Your customers will be able to configure the exact combination of product options they are looking for and create their final product. The price will then be calculated according to the selected specifications that your customer has picked. After this information is selected, the 3D configurator software will provide a quote that states the price of the selected product.

    2. Demonstrate Function and Styling  

Consumers are increasingly unwilling to buy products that they are not sure about. They want to be offered an in-person shopping experience even when shopping online. This is where 3D product configurators can be a big help to your brand and your sales numbers.

3d configurators are able to demonstrate the functionality of each part of a product as well as demonstrating how the sum of all of the parts looks and works. Imagine sites you have engaged with where you could build a car from the tires up. This is a perfect example of the added value that a 3D configurator can offer your brand. Consumers feel far more confident in products they can experience before they buy them.

If you are promoting complex products or products that have many styling options, this is one of the best use cases  for 3D product configurators.

    3. Provide Photo-Realistic Representations  

Modern consumers are less and less willing to pay attention to brands that use flat images of their products. The lack of quality that these simple images demonstrate can be a major stumbling block for eCommerce brands, especially if the products in question are complicated in design.

A 3D configurator offers your brand the chance to provide photo-realistic copies that convey exactly what the item in question looks like. Your consumers will even feel confident in the textures of the things they are looking at using the zoom function that is a part of many configurators.

3D configurators often work with gaming-quality engines that create superior images that  show the finer details of the products you are selling. Regular 2D images simply cannot compete with the high-quality photo-realistic images that a 3D configurator will be able to provide your brand.

    4. Works on Any Device  

This is one of the primary benefits of 3D configurators for many eCommerce brands. It can be hard to optimize your product images and interactions for all kinds of devices. If there are major differences in the quality of the buying experience offered to consumers shopping on mobile, for example, you will be missing out on a lot of sales that your brand could be enjoying.

3D configurators allow your product images to be optimized for all kinds of devices, from tablets to smartphones. This means that no matter what kind of device that people are shopping on, they will be able to have the same seamless and high-quality buying experience that they can find when they log into their computer.

The benefits of this part of 3D configurator functionality also extend to social media. This can be a big leg up for many eCommerce brands as social media outreach is not commonly aimed at these kinds of higher-tech buyer experiences.

    5. Improves User Engagement & Calls to Action  

3D Configurators are also a really great way to access a call-to-action function that guides buyers toward finalizing the purchase process. Combining the uniquely immersive buying experience offered by 3D product configurators with a reminder that all they have to do is click submit or next to buy the item can be a powerful way to convert sales.

Your 3D configurator can easily be set up to offer a range of next steps to your consumers when they are done with the creation process of their unique item. If you have been clear about the cost of this customized item, your customers will feel confident in taking the next steps to purchase the product.

Seeing the custom order that has been created for them can convince any buyer that they don’t want to walk away from their creation. All you need to do is offer a clear call to action for the next steps and you will be able to secure sales that might have eluded you before.

    6. Create 3D Ads  

This is another area where 3D product configurators shine. You can create uniquely compelling ads using your product renderings and they will offer the same benefits to potential consumers who have not yet visited your eCommerce store.

Being able to see the product they are interested in buying clearly in an ad is much more enticing than a staged photo that does not offer any interactive features. Ecommerce advertising shows all kinds of metrics to store owners about engagements, click-through rates, and much more. Adding these kinds of 3D configurator-designed ads to your arsenal will tell you a lot about buyer behavior when they are offered a truly appealing ad.

You may find that you have been wasting money running regular ads with regular images. 3D configurator-driven ads are often far superior to regular ads and they can give your brand a big leg up over your competition who is advertising in the same space.

How do I Get Started Utilizing a 3D Configurator?  

A quality configurator will easily customize to fit your needs.. There are various products on the market that can offer these benefits to your brand. Some of the main companies that provide either off-the-shelf setup include Zakeke, Expivi while SketchFab offers fully customizable functionality for their viewer.

You should look into the plug-ins and software features that you want most and decide which one you can afford to work with. The range of costs for 3D Configurators can vary greatly depending on the product that you are interested in as well as your planned uses for the configurator.

Here at saVRee, we are certified partners with Zakeke, Expivi, SketchFab, and Verge3D and can help your company with the decision process when reviewing 3D Configurators. We also offer setup and configuration services for each of these companies, among others. Contact us for questions or if you have already decided on a 3D Product Configurator and need help to set up and implement it.

A 3D Product Configurator can Promote Your Brand and Increase Consumer Confidence  

3D configurators offer value to your eCommerce brand that can improve nearly every step of the buying process for your consumers. As eCommerce competition increases, 3D product configurators will become a must-have feature for eCommerce.

Being an early adopter of this revolutionary technology will put your brand at the forefront of this new trend and give you a leg up on the future of this valuable sales tool. While the initial costs of this technology might be a bit higher than you were expecting, you will enjoy an increase in sales that will offset this investment in no time.

There is no future scenario wherein 3D Product Configurators are not a standard tool for online sales and marketing experiences. Get your eCommerce store upgraded, optimized and future-proof with and benefit from the many advantages it can offer your brand.