Customers love to shop visually – even B2B customers. So if you sell complex configurable products, you need to show your customers what their custom products will look like before they buy. You can do this with product configurator software, either on your B2B e-commerce website or on your sales reps’ devices. This article shows you how!
Read on to find out:
- What an online product configurator does
- Who can use configurator product software
- Why customers love configured software online
- Why your business needs product configurators
- How to choose the right configurator software for your business
What an Online Product Configurator Does
Online product configurator is a way for the customers to configure their products, or even design customized products, in real-time.
The best product configurators display a configured product onscreen in a lifelike 3D rendering so that customers are able to see what they are configuring as they configure it.
From the customer’s point of view, product configurators put them in complete control of the configuration as well as the customization process. They can choose from a plethora of available options to include sizes, colors, accessories, and the like. They select options they want, and then the product configurator creates a 3D render of the final product for them to inspect.
In most of the cases, users can rotate these lifelike 3D rendering onscreen to see what the products will look like from all the angles and also zoom in to see added detail. The enhanced visibility boosts decision-making and also reduces the purchase anxiety.
If the customer does not like what they see or wished to make some changes, they just keep selecting various options until satisfied. The 3D product rendering changes in real-time to display every change as it’s made.
As users configure the product, information gets sent to your CPQ software to look up and generate a price, that is in turn, displayed to the customer. When the customer is done configuring, the system then automatically generates a detailed and accurate quote for the finished customized product.
The customer can then accept the quote and order their product on the spot, or they can also opt to get their approvals within the company. When the quote is approved and a purchase order cut, the product configurator software sends elaborate specifications for the customized product to your design and engineering staff. It can send it directly to your CAD platform if it’s been integrated with your configurator software.
In this way, configurator software boosts the configuration and purchasing process, eliminates quoting errors and product design, resulting in a more accurate product that the customer receives quicker. Unsurprisingly, it’s now become an integral part of any business’ e-commerce sales kit.
Who Uses Online Product Configurator Software
Product configurator software is being used by both B2C and B2B companies with increasing trends.
B2C companies usually integrate product configuration into their entire e-commerce websites, as is the case with online retailers. This allows the online shoppers to make a choice from their own product options as they shop.
B2B companies can, and should, implement product configuration software on their e-commerce websites to motivate buyers to take control of the B2B purchasing experience. They can also provide online configurator software on the sales reps’ computers and also tablets for personal sales calls.
8 Reasons Why Customers Love Online Software
Both B2C and B2B customers love online product configurator software because they like to make their own product choices and witness their configurations before they are bought. Here are just some of the benefits that customers enjoy from using the product configuration software.
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Customers in Control
Customers like to be the ones in control. B2B buyers, especially, no longer need to be at the mercy of their sales rep teams. Instead, they can shop when they want to, and order when they want to order. This is shown in a survey by McKinsey that displayed 70% of B2B decision-makers are now open to self-service their digital purchases.
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Shows All the Feasible Options
Many B2B products come with multiple options that are just line-listed in a single-spaced black and white catalog. However, with product configuration software, all the available options are listed, typically in drop-down menus or checkbox lists, and then customers can see all those options applied to the products in real-time.
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EncouragesTruly Personalize Merchandise
The B2B marketplace is not a one-size-fits-all experience anymore – even if you think it ever was. Today’s B2B buyers have needs specific to their companies that off-the-shelf products cannot fully satisfy. Product configuration software allows quick and easy customization to meet B2B buyer needs better.
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Allows Them to Exactly See What They’re Buying
The biggest benefit for many customers is that their product configurators are visual. Instead of just wondering what a configured product will look like, they get to see it in a lifelike rendering onscreen. All the changes they make are instantly reflected in an updated rendering. There’s no more guesswork involved.
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Real-Time Quotes
Since product configuration software integrates with your CPQ solution, customers get real-time quotes for any kind of configuration they devise. They are no longer needed to wait days, or even weeks, as their sales rep goes back and forth with the main office to price the latest configuration. The configuration software creates a new quote with every change the customer makes, providing immediate feedback to the affordability of the chosen options.
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Improved Order Accuracy
Salespeople are human, and humans make errors. With product configuration software, you eliminate the human middleman and reduce – if not eliminate – the chances for human error. The customer’s order is directly transferred to your design and manufacturing staff, with totally no opportunity for an incorrect interpretation. More accurate orders means that customers get exactly what they order every single time.
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Boosts the Entire Process
Because quotes are generated in real-time and accurate design information is immediately communicated to your staff, the entire configuration, ordering, as well as production process is significantly shortened. As a result, customers get the products needed much faster – and you get paid faster as well.
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Delivers a Better Shopping Experience
Consumer online shopping is all about delivering a more convenient and interactive experience for the customer. B2B buyers want similar type of experience when they purchase for their companies – that be provided by the visual product configuration software. A separate McKinsey study noted that almost half (45%) of B2B companies that offer a poor e-commerce experience lost customers.
How to Choose the Right Configurator Software for Your Customers – and Your Business
Your customers want to configure and customize your products in real-time and see the results in detail on their screens. This is functionality you can offer them with the visual product configurator from KBMax. This software produces highly detailed 3D renderings that show all product configurations from all angles.
Whichever product configurator software you choose, know that your customers will appreciate being able to make their own configuration choices – and see those choices applied instantaneously.
