What is a product configurator and how does it impact sales?

How does a product configurator on a website impact the customer experience?

Personalization and customization to preferences

The configurator allows customers to tailor the product to their needs and preferences. It’s like assembling a toy – the future owner decides which components to choose and how to assemble them.

Visualization and visual experience – better product perception

Thanks to the configurator, customers can see exactly what their order will look like before making a purchase.

Comparing available product versions

When you have multiple variations of your product, the configurator makes it easy to compare different options. This allows the customer to make an informed choice.

No more unavailable or mismatched products

Product unavailability or a product not meeting the customer's expectations are common sources of frustration. The configurator eliminates this problem by enabling customers to create exactly what fits their expectations.

User-friendliness

A well-designed configurator is easy to use and intuitive. This is crucial - it should provide a pleasant user experience, as a complicated interface can discourage potential customers.

Customer engagement

The interactive configuration process keeps buyers engaged on your website. Consequently, there's a higher chance they will ultimately make a purchase.

Shortened purchasing time

The configurator allows customers to quickly and easily customize the product to their needs, reducing the time from entering the website to clicking the "Buy Now" button.

Basic product configurator functions

Personalization at the highest level

The configurator allows customers to customize products to their individual needs - from choosing color, size or material, to more advanced parameters. This makes it possible to create fully personalized products.

Advanced visualization

Instead of relying solely on imagination, customers can see the results of their choices in real time. Interactive 2D or 3D visualizations allow you to rotate the product and view it from all sides, increasing purchasing confidence.

Dynamic price calculation

The configurator can take into account dynamically updating the price of the product based on the choices made, allowing customers to control their budget and see the cost of each option. This solution is optional and can be customized from simple calculations to complex algorithms provided by the customer. It is also possible to integrate the configurator with ERP or e-commerce systems, allowing prices to be retrieved and updated directly from the customer's internal databases.

Comparing variants

The configurator dynamically displays the price based on the choices made , making budget control easier and increasing customer confidence.

Comparing options

Users can easily compare different versions of a configured product, helping them make the best purchasing decision.

Saving and sharing configurations

The ability to save the design created or share it with others makes it easy to discuss the choice with relatives or colleagues before purchasing.

Support in the configuration process

The configurator can include prompts, instructions and additional descriptions to guide you step-by-step through the configuration process.

Intuitive and responsive interface

The easy-to-use interface makes configuration easy even for less advanced users. In addition, full compatibility with mobile devices ensures the convenience of using the configurator anywhere, anytime.

In which industries are configurators popular?

1. Furniture and interior furnishings. Imagine that your customers can choose not only the shape and style of furniture but also the material, upholstery color, and even details like legs or handles. Companies like Modimodi utilize this type of configurator.
2. Clothing and Footwear. In a world of individualism, consumers want to wear clothes that reflect their own style. Clothing configurators allow for choosing the cut, color, pattern, or even adding personalized prints. A great example here is the Nike by You configurator, where customers can design their own clothing items.
3. Packaging.. Many companies are in search of unique packaging that grabs the customer's attention. A packaging configurator allows for designing custom cases, boxes, or tailored packaging that perfectly aligns with the brand's character. In the Polish market, companies like zapakuj.to offer personalized packaging.
4. Automotive.. In the automotive industry, a configurator allows for choosing the paint color, wheels, interior, additional features, and technological solutions. This makes the car almost a unique creation, tailored to the driver's needs and style. Companies like Honda offer this option through their car configurators.

   Check the case study of the Rotate IT project with a car wheel configurator.

5. Electronics and audio-visual equipment. An electronic equipment configurator allows for the selection of functions, technical parameters, and accessories. This way, the customer receives a device perfectly tailored to their needs without unnecessary compromises. For example,Media Expert offers various configurators that enable customization of the end product to meet the customer's requirements.
6. Jewelry. Choosing jewelry is typically an exceptionally personal decision. A jewelry configurator allows customers to select precious stones, metals, patterns, and styles. The Polish brand Mokait, has made this move by providing customers with their own jewelry configurators.
7. Kitchen anad bathroom design. Home spaces are areas where details truly matter. The configurator used by brands like Leroy Merlin, allows you to choose the size, shape, material, or finish of individual decor elements.
8. 3D printing. Modern three-dimensional printing technologies are capable of creating unique objects almost from scratch. Thanks to configurators, customers can design their own models, choose the scale, and then bring their project to life.
9. Windows and doors. Do you want buyers to be able to customize their doors and windows to fit the size, shape, and color of their space? Thanks to modern tools, they can also freely choose from accessories such as blinds or roller shades. One such example of a custom window configurator is offered by REHAU Polska.
10. Garages and steel structures. Garage configurators allow customers to design the perfect space to suit their needs - from choosing dimensions, sheet metal color, and roof type, to additional elements such as side doors, windows or ventilation systems. Companies specializing in steel structures often provide such tools, allowing customers to fully personalize the design before it is implemented.
11. Sports Equipment. Whether it's tennis rackets or snowboards, a configurator allows you to customize equipment to meet the individual needs of every sports enthusiast.

What can be personalized using a configurator?

A product configurator offers many customization possibilities such as:

• Color and pattern
• Size and dimensions
• Material and finish
• Features and options
• Graphic and text personalization
• Selection of accessories and add-ons
• Technical parameters

What does the customer gain from a configurator?

Customers highly value the freedom that configurators provide. Thanks to them, they can:

• Fully personalize their project;
• Choose from several options of a given product;
• Visualize the project and see it before making a purchase;
• Shop conveniently and consciously.

What does the company gain from a configurator?

Implementing a product configurator can bring many benefits to your company. These include:

• Higher conversion and sales;
• More satisfied customers;
• Uniqueness in the market;
• Effective alignment with buyer needs;
• Increased customer engagement;
• The ability to actively research buyer preferences.

Technological challenges in implementing a configurator

• User-friendly interface. The configurator should be easy to use and work seamlessly on all devices.
• Smoothness and reliability of operation. Long response times or errors can discourage users from making a purchase and lead them to abandon their shopping carts.
• Storage and collaboration. Customers should have the ability to save, compare, and share their configurations.
• Security policy. The configurator must protect customers' private and confidential data. Any data breaches can result in serious financial and reputational consequences.
• Integrations with internal company services. Every configurator should be fully compatible with e-commerce, CRM, and ERP systems.
• Support and flexibility. The company's needs are constantly changing, and the configurator's task is to adapt to these changes.
• Presentation of spatial visualizations (3D). Preparing three-dimensional models that customers can modify as they wish.

Cost of creating a configurator

The cost of creating a configurator primarily depends on the expectations and outcomes we want to achieve through its implementation. Consequently, it depends on the chosen approach to the project.

One possible approach is to use a ready-made tool of this type. The market offers ready-made solutions, both expensive and high-quality, as well as cheap, usually of very low quality. There are also configurators available in the form of ready-made plugins for CMSs like WordPress, costing only a few dozen dollars.

Purchasing a universal plugin is the lowest cost - however, the cost of implementing the plugin and adapting it to the website must be considered. In such a case, the total cost usually falls within a budget of several thousand to tens of thousands of Polish zlotys. However, this approach, in most cases, is far from meeting all the needs of the company. It's a way for a company with low expectations, which does not need a dedicated tool and is willing to make many compromises, including adapting its process to the ready-made tool (and not vice versa). Problems may also arise when wanting to further develop and expand the configurator.

An alternative approach is the implementation of a personalized configurator, tailor-made to perfectly meet all needs. Advanced configurators with many options, tailored to the company's processes and actually automating many steps, are usually sophisticated, dedicated software, requiring a specific approach and more extensive work. The cost of creating such a tool depends on many details, such as the complexity of the configuration, number of steps, configuration scope, creating 3D models, or integration with other systems. Usually, the total cost of building a configurator requires a budget of several tens or even hundreds of thousands of Polish zlotys. In this case, there are virtually no limitations, and any configurator can be created. There is also no problem in modifying or expanding it in the future with additional necessary capabilities. An example of such a configurator can be found in our case study, where we described the process of creating a product configurator for a packaging manufacturer.

Implementing a product configurator in your company!

A product configurator is not just a tool. It's a strategy that will transform the way your company operates and how customers perceive it. With it, you'll gain loyal customers, increase sales, and improve your market position.

WebMakers specializes in implementing configurators for companies in various industries. By entrusting this task to us, you can be sure that it's being handled by experts who know what they're doing.

Automating business processes through a configurator is a step into the future that's within your reach. Don't wait any longer – contact us to take your company to the next level!

case study

Dedicated product configurator for a furniture manufacturer

Check out case study