3D CONFIGURATOR: AN ADVANCED GUIDE WITH REAL WORLD CASE STUDIES

3D is transforming the view of a wide range of fields globally. Interactive 3D is offering better ways to answer two key questions every customer has;

“Is this product going to be exactly what I want?”
“Is the quality great, or is it just a knock-off?”
The ability to interact gives so much more. It is now widely acknowledged that online reviews and influencer trends are no longer enough. Customers want to feel products on several levels instead.

According to Econsultancy, they want to see the product, hold it in their hands, feel it, and get rid of all doubts before making their purchase.

In most cases, this isn’t feasible because the ideal products can be thousands of miles away. High-quality images can only go so far. Even when rendered there are possibilities of gaps between reality and the picture in view.

What is a 3D Configurator?

3d configurators are defined as an interactive tool powered by live 3D models to allow customers to personalize products as they want, enabling users to watch their adjustments and receive estimates of the costs based on the customizations, which in the end leads to a more engaging client relationship.

With this service customers can experience the product from all angles and customize product attributes such as texture, color, and all other components. Customers can watch your product transform in real-time from any device without using plugins.

They can also configure custom designs even if you don’t have those specifics available. Once such a service is implemented, you can boost your eCommerce platform through the power of immersive visualization.

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Source: Guerlain Rouge G 3D lipstick configurator in cooperation with Hapticmedia

How Does It Work?
Whatever the nature of your online 3D configurator, it usually fulfills these two functions: a detailed exploration of a product and the ability to customize an existing product to match specific needs.

So, for example, a customer wants to buy a shoe but has no idea what kind of footwear will best endure their intended hiking experience. Once they visit your website, they will check the inspiring stories and shoes you manufacture. They will also consider how much thought and experience you put into the product.

Now, they might have an idea of what they want but haven’t necessarily concluded. Here is where your configurator comes in to display different kinds of shoes and inspire them to check out variations of those footwears. Hence, providing them with more product engagement.

Clients can check the product inside out from 360 degree, interact with it and customize!
So using your configurator, they can check out shoe styles, colors, materials, and combine them in different ways until they create a personalized pair they prefer. While mixing and aligning their specifications, your real-time viewer will allow them to see their shoe combinations in a 360 degree real-time view mode.

All these give them precise control over the product they want and encourage them to make a purchase as soon as possible.

Limitations of Traditional Image-Based Product Configurators
There exist two main kinds of traditional product configurators: image-based configurators and non-web based 3D solutions. Each has specific limitations:

The image-based configurator doesn’t allow customers to explore products from any angle profoundly, causing a huge gap between reality and expectations.
For non-web based 3D solutions customers need 3rd party plugins to view like Flash (or other platforms) which limits the number of customers who can see your products. There’s also the problem of achieving deep analytics of your customer’s needs alongside integration with 3rd party data.
Benefits of 3D Product Configurators for the Customer
1. Provide a complete product understanding through interaction
Online 3d configuration solutions now solve all of the problems and limitations. Customers can view in real-time while the website owner receives an analysis on customer behaviors. There’s also no need for 3rd party plugins also to enable this service. Customers can view 3D solutions on mobiles and tablets without plugins.

2. Enable co- design to match specific or high end needs
Customers personalize products to their precise demands without interventions from your business, thereby placing the decision in their hands. In this case, they will get exactly what they want in the end by engaging themselves in the design process.

a. Fun and engaging

Customers won’t get bored by endless pictures. With 3D configuration services, they can have lots of fun matching through products before reaching out to you for more advice. Brands can also offer more value by generating an offer in a variety of formats from the preset rules and formulas. With this heightened sense of interaction, customers can become involved in the process which overcomes the hurdles of the first contact.

b. Saves time and avoids Errors

Customers will be ecstatic if they don’t have to worry about buying a product that is too small. No one wants to pass through the hassles of returning goods and waiting for the right thing to be shipped again. With a real time 3D model, customers will receive a 360-view of the product in the right dimensions to ease the stress and worry of getting it wrong the first time.

c. Able to send special requests easily

Customers will enjoy product configurators because it provides avenues for them to get the exact product that matches their needs. Therefore, they can feel as though they have an active part in the decisions towards the making of their products. They can also send special requests about products that they need rather than stick to generic mass productions.

3. Allow clients to monitor the costs
Customers can also control what they pay for the product as they customize, since different available options will reflect differently on the price of the product and they are able to see the change timely as every choice is made.

Benefits of 3D Configurators for Your Company
1. Understand consumer demands and be responsive to market trends
With 3D configuration solutions, you can minimize mistakes, errors, and misunderstandings between you and your client thanks to the fact that they have proactive control of what they buy.

It also reduces barriers to the market, as you will know what clients want when releasing options during the first stages of product development through 3D configuration solutions.

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Source: Guerlain 3D perfume configurator in cooperation with Hapticmedia

2. Save costs in stock and marketing
This technology will also redefine and shorten the sales cycle since real-time feedbacks can help you create better outcomes. You can make product updates and track customer behaviors extensively in real-time.

In addition, you can reduce stock since you will create products per request. Areas like expenses incurred in producing stocks, logistics, and storage will be reduced.

Such solutions work with all kinds of websites and can be personalized to become as responsive as the rest of your website. You can also achieve high-quality pictures for marketing or printing.

3. Enable a consumer- centric omni-channel experience
Online 3D configuration systems can also work offline on salesmen’s screens, which can be formatted for events or used in interactive stores. Through interaction and engagement, customers can participate in your productions, making sure you know their needs, budget, and taste.

4. Increase conversion rates and revenues
Ultimately, this solution help boost sales. Customers can make informed decisions rapidly as they have real-time control of their needs, price display, direct contact with the sales rep, in-depth descriptions, and a strong call-to-action.

In addition, through increased engagement, you can generate leads and drive customers to buy your products immediately since they have a complete overview of your products.

We are now able to offer an interactive experience with our 3D demo and to bring life to our products on the digital platforms with 3D configuration. We also use their solution internally to simplify the way we work with our agencies. Our partners have more autonomy to generate 3D assets which always meet our expectations. Hapticmedia is a strong digital partner for us.

Silvia Cordoni, Global Omni Channel Manager BabyNes at Nestlé

5. Light, secure and cloud based
WebGL product configurators or 3D web configurators does not require 3rd party plugins to function like Flash (or other platforms) which limits the number of customers who can see your products. There’s also the problem of achieving deep analytics of your customer’s needs alongside integration with 3rd party data.

SaaS product configurators, i.e. Software as a Service, like the one offered by Apviz, are cloud-based solutions that are lightweight and secure, enabling the creation of fully customizable 3D configurators embeddable on any commerce website.

3 Real World Case Studies
A good example is a luxury watch brand, Baume from the Richemont group in partnership with Hapticmedia.
In the first scenario, customers can personalize their watch using a online 3D configuration software in a large touch screen, which includes attributess like colors, frame types, materials of bracelets, hand types and needles leading to up to a thousand possible customizations.

Results can be exported to the customer, which they can show others while waiting to receive the new watch. In the second scenario, customers can configure their watch in a made-to-measure pattern from a physical object.

Baume has achieved this success through a unique blend of 3D and augmented reality. By doing this, Baume has greatly increased their conversions and sales.

Source: Baume connected ecommerce enabled by VR/ AR technology in cooperation with Hapticmedia

A second example is the case of Guerlain.
Their Rouge G range was transformed in conjunction with experts from Hapticmedia. The Rouge G product line is a collection of lipsticks of 15 hoods which can be modified to over 30 shades and 500 combinations.

Customers can pick a shade and customize lipsticks in a variety of colors and style in the best possible way that matches their unique needs.

Now equipped with this technology, the customization page of Rouge G Range enjoys twice the conversion rate compared to any other page in the whole website.

Hapticmedia’s 3D technical solution has provided us with a superb showcase for our product Rouge G. It has also enabled us to present out customers with all available customization combinations directly on our site while avoiding us the high cost of a full range photo shoot. In addition to this, the solution was extremely easy for our technical teams to implement.

Romain Noyer, International Ecommerce Manager

The third case of Schmidt
Hapticmedia assisted the brand Schmidt in building a digitized platform that allows customers to find inspirations and customize their own kitchens with the help of an in-store specialist.

With this user friendly technology clients can now browse all available materials in 3D and have fun designing their dream project. Online 3d configurators assist them in their choices and plans. They can try out new colors and layouts before making an appointment with an in-store specialist.

And the project turned out great. After the launch, Schmidt witnessed amazing improvements in both their physical stores and official website.

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Conclusion: technology as a win-win solution
Personalization, customer engagement, and interactive product visualizations are the new realities of the future. Such a shopping environment enabled by 3D configuration solutions provides a tangible in-store experience to online customers so to help them make decisions without hesitation and in record time, which drives higher sales and conversions.

Therefore, more businesses are likely to embrace the power of interactive 3D, especially in regards to 3D configuration.

Contact Hapticmedia to get a technological boost to your sales
Here Hapticmedia is a leader in 3D configuration industry with over 10 years of experiences, combined with Augmented Reality technology we are able to offer a upgraded and engaging online shopping experience for your consumers, like what we did with Guerlain and Kenzo, enabling clients to config and personalize products on your e-commerce website.

Contact us and ask for an estimate of your tailor made 3D product configurator and see with your own eyes the true results it brings.