The popularity of product configurators has steadily grown in recent years. It makes sense given that ideas like “build to order,” “assemble to order,” “configure to order,” “manufacture to order,” or “engineer to order” hinge on the customer’s satisfaction at each stage of the project. Their 3D configurator is one of the most significant touchpoints for digital sales. Anyone with a customer- and sales-focused way of thinking has probably already dealt with the benefits of configurators. But what factors must you take into account when building a 3d product configurator? We have examined criteria and obstacles that are regularly repeated. There are 5 critical, cross-industry success factors when developing a product configurator.
Use Personas To Define Your Target Audience
You must have as much knowledge as you can about your consumers before you can begin to develop the workflow and usability idea for the configurator. Making personas is a useful strategy. You determine age, gender, professional background, employment position, technical equipment, buying patterns, and as many more representative consumers as you can.
You then create a customer journey with the necessary needs for the product configurator or the full purchasing process for each of these personas, all to provide the best possible customer experience. A user-oriented requirements catalog for the entire project is the outcome of this effort. All online and branding projects now revolve around developing personas and consumer journeys. You might be able to adapt existing descriptions from somewhere in your firm. If not, sales and marketing will be pleased when it is eventually done.
After Launching Your Configurator Project, Maintain Flexibility
The configurator serves as the primary customer interaction point for all digital initiatives. Due to the need to accommodate all potential configuration possibilities, the concept phase is frequently very time-consuming. However, it is advised to begin modestly. This starts by conserving resources. The product configurator can be improved over time, continuously tailored to the needs of the users, and expanded with new features based on the user data (which should be provided by your configurator solution).
Always be mindful of the dangers of information overload, take care not to overwhelm your clients, and move slowly toward your ideal. Even when clients reject them or never use them, features of the configurator that have already been designed and finished programming may still exist. Why? Project managers typically struggle with resolving misunderstandings.
Try Quick Prototyping If You Are Unsure About Strategic Problems
Your configurator project’s concept stage may leave you unsure of the ideal price approach, design, or process navigation. The configurator should still be able to launch despite this. You can quickly test several techniques via rapid prototyping, which is the building of a prototype (your configurator solution should also make this feasible). Rapid prototyping also offers insightful information on game mechanics and usability.
In tests, you can use a prototype to observe test subject behavior and quickly determine which version is preferable. Given a sufficient number of tests, the results are objective and offer a high level of statistical certainty. It’s not necessary to define the prototypes.
Don’t Put Too Much Stock In Your Company’s Name Or Goods
Make buyers aware of the advantages of product customization, regardless of how well-known or established your business or brand is. Just because you have a configurator available doesn’t mean that anyone will utilize it or purchase any of your products. When launching a configurator project, it’s crucial to have a long-term marketing plan that is tailored to the target market. Establish accountability, a marketing budget, and the management’s commitment to promoting the configurator.
The risk of exaggerating one’s brand increases with the company’s level of fame. The failure of Configurator initiatives frequently results from the inability to activate the new, wider target audience. Make sure the configurator does not land on the website’s most basic page as well. Although it seems obvious, buyers won’t use something they can’t see.
Monitor User Data And Remain Inquisitive
Even if you are effectively using a configurator, market conditions might quickly change and lead to the creation of new or different requirements. Continuous user data and traffic analysis aid in the interpretation of anomalies and the anticipation of fresh client wants. Monitoring competitors and benchmark businesses also offer insights into market trends and differentiation opportunities, so the company’s data aren’t the only ones that matter in this case.