E-commerce businesses and those with both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce presences have seen online sales rise exponentially over the past decade, following rapid technological advancements. Global e-commerce sales surpassed $6 trillion in 2024 and are expected to exceed $7.4 trillion by 2026 [I]. We are now well past the aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, but online sales continue to grow rapidly. Online shopping has become the norm for both individuals and many B2B organizations.
Subsequently, many brands have adapted to the change in consumer needs and expectations. More attention is now placed on marketing to an online audience, with a strong focus on improving the customer experience. Brands are realizing that to remain competitive, they must deliver outstanding CX that sets them apart from their competitors and enhances brand recognition and loyalty. One way many brands have achieved this is by using a product configurator.
Retail has undergone significant changes in the last few years. Here are the forces we see shaping the way brands sell, both in-store and online, this year:
AI-Assisted Commerce
Shoppers expect help navigating complexity. Generative AI is now integrated into discovery, guided selling, and even configurators, enabling buyers to type or speak their preferences and instantly see viable options.
Composable Commerce
Retailers are moving from monolithic platforms to API-driven stacks. That means configurators, PIM, CPQ, and storefronts plug together more flexibly, and scale without painful re-platforms.
Zero-Party Data
With third-party cookies fading, brands need direct signals from customers. Configurators are ideal for capturing explicit preferences (such as color, size, and finish) that inform marketing, product development, and personalization.
Immersive Retail
3D and AR are no longer extras; they’re conversion drivers. With WebGPU rolling out, interactive visuals will load faster and look sharper on everyday devices, blurring the line between online and showroom.
Personalization
Shoppers expect brands to know their preferences and reward those that do. In fact, 57% of consumers say they’ll spend more with brands that offer personalized experiences. That makes personalization not just a nice touch, but a direct driver of revenue. [II].
Circular Commerce
Repairability and resale are becoming increasingly important. Configurators can highlight upgrade paths and show the environmental footprint of choices, empowering buyers and extending product lifespans.
A product configurator, also referred to as product configuration software, is a valuable tool that enables a business to create a 3D representation of a product tailored to a client or customer’s unique specifications. For example, if someone wanted to see what a model of their new kitchen might look like, a designer would use a kitchen configuration tool to automate the process and showcase a 3D model of the kitchen.
The customer could then view the model from all angles, zoom in or out, and request changes as necessary, which could be easily and quickly performed using the product configuration software. Other product configuration examples include clothing shops that enable customers to design their own t-shirts or a furniture company that lets customers design their own sofas. In either example, customers might choose specific attributes, such as size, color, sleeve length for the shirts, or cushion style for the sofa.
Initially, product configuration was used primarily in the manufacturing industry. However, as more brands across various sectors recognized the benefits of utilizing product configuration for e-commerce, it has come to play a significantly larger role in the realm of online shopping.
One of the best ways an e-business can assist a customer is by allowing them to help themselves, all while enhancing the customer journey and facilitating a purchase. Product configuration is an ideal tool for this purpose, guiding the customer along their journey without being overly intrusive. The best product configurators offer a range of benefits to both consumers and e-commerce businesses.
Many complex products, which are more suited for B2B transactions, often contain a host of features and options or require numerous calculations to be performed before a model can be properly created and displayed. Product configuration software enables clients or customers to easily assemble models simply by selecting the features and options they desire. Such an intuitive and advanced process is highly preferred, and, of course, much more convenient than checking off a bunch of options in a catalog without being able to actually visualize the completed product.
Additionally, presets for each product ensure improved accuracy, preventing customers from selecting features or options that are incompatible with one another. The product configuration software will alert the customer if an option cannot be selected.
Preparing quotes used to be a time-consuming task. The client or customer would need to relay their requirements to your sales team, which would then require time to prepare a quote and return it to the client. With a product configuration website built into your e-commerce site, customers can receive an immediate quote when they submit an order. This saves your sales team a great deal of time and ensures that pricing is accurate. This also frees up time for your sales team to assist other customers who may require additional support.
Human error can never be eradicated. When working with manual submissions of specifications and materials, mistakes can occur. And sometimes, the product then gets made incorrectly before anyone realizes the error. This costs your business time and money, and also results in an unhappy customer. But with a product configurator putting together the order for you, this problem is solved. In fact, you could even call it a solutions configurator.
The product configurator can even alert the client that some materials might not be available before completing the order, or it won’t offer the option at all if the materials aren’t currently in stock. Manufacturing receives the correct order directly from the product configuration software. The product gets made correctly, and everyone is happy.
There’s less need for your marketing department to spend time attempting to showcase your products to the target audience because your customers will likely already be doing it for you. When a customer creates their product on your product configuration website, they become invested in their creation. Many customers will then choose to share their custom product on social media, expanding your marketing reach without the need for additional marketing spend. And why would they do that? Simply because configurators are highly engaging, educational, and fun.
Meanwhile, the customer is pleased. Their quote time got cut from weeks to minutes. The online self-service process freed your product experts to address more critical issues than helping customers navigate configuration options. This builds trust with the customers and gets them closer.
Today’s consumers expect a lot. They want to be able to find the information they seek quickly, and they certainly don’t want to spend time talking with customer service or a sales representative if it’s avoidable. Product configuration addresses these pain points by offering customers speed, independence, and the flexibility to create custom products easily. The intuitive product configuration software enables customers to quickly design and order their desired product, improving both brand recognition and brand loyalty.
A pain point of online shopping is the loss of the ability to touch and review the product in person. This can be partially aided by the 360-degree viewer, which replicates the in-store experience. Additionally, customers can save their configuration and resume where they left off.
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The aid of such a special tool is essential to streamlining efficiency and improving customer loyalty. It impacts the speed at which orders can be processed and proposals and contracts can be written. Your product designers can create rules and constraints for the product configuration software, enabling it to evolve and become more potent over time, thereby consistently offering the ideal solution for your customers.
And, chances are, your competitors may already be using a product configurator. Many brands across a multitude of industries have recognized that CX is a critical component of brand success. Subsequently, they have sought ways to meet and exceed higher customer expectations, converting leads into customers.
Product configuration software may sound complex, but it is actually a user-friendly marketing tool that enables you to showcase your entire product range, along with the value of each product. Due to its growing success across industries, it has become a primary solution for attracting, engaging, and retaining customers.
With a product configuration website, it is easy for customers to see their ideas become reality. Creating a visual representation of the client’s selections provides a great customer experience, especially when complex products are involved. There is no interruption to the customer journey due to delays in design or errors in inventory management.
This makes it easier than ever for your customers to purchase products from your brand. Customers will also appreciate the photorealistic 3D quality of the presented products, reassuring them that what they see is what they will get. It’s a win-win – your customers have fun with your product and your brand, they are reassured and proud of their customized solution, and your sales representatives will spend less time per customer as they all come well-prepared.
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https://www.emarketer.com/content/worldwide-retail-ecommerce-forecast-2024
[II] https://blog.blackcurve.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ch/Documents/consumer-business/ch-en-consumer-business-made-to-order-consumer-review.pdf