Visual product configuration is one of the strongest suits of a configure, price, quote (CPQ) tool.
Why?
Well, visual information is your biggest ally when communicating a product’s value to your customer. Humans have an average attention span of 8 seconds. And reading product descriptions takes longer.
This is why most ecommerce websites include images. But are images really enough, especially when you offer complex product configurations?
Not quite. And that’s where a 3D product configurator comes in. This guide explains everything you need to know about how CPQ systems with a visual product configurator can help offer a better shopping experience to customers. One that’s so good, it makes your competitors look bad.
What is Visual Product Configuration?
Visual product configuration is a feature of a CPQ system. It enables sales reps and buyers to view a 3D rendering of a particular configuration and interact with it in real time.
Configure, price, quote (CPQ) systems automate various processes across the value chain, allowing manufacturers to operate more efficiently and improve client experiences. But it’s visual product configuration that makes the biggest difference to customers. Because it’s what they see when interacting with your brand.
Why You Need a Visual Product Configurator
Traditionally, CPQ systems did just three key things:
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They helped users configure products
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They calculated prices for configurations
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They generated quotes for customers.
Modern CPQ systems have far more to offer, starting with product visualization capabilities.
Picture your sales rep sitting next to a buyer. They're attempting to explain your complex products. They're running through all the options, setting out how you can combine them to solve the customer's problem. It's not easy–even for the most experienced salesperson, let alone a new hire.
Now imagine the same thing, only this time, the salesperson has a screen that shows the customer a lifelike 3D rendering of the product. As they go through the various options, the rendering evolves. It even moves to demonstrate how it works. Sound easier? Well, this is what you can do with visual product configuration.
Visual product configuration makes configuring products so easy that often there’s no need for a salesperson to be involved at all. Buyers can self-serve by using your visual configurator embedded on your website.
It’s easy to see how a modern CPQ system can transform the buying experience. And it’s a transformation that buyers value–40% of buyers will pay more for products they can view using AR.
The problem, though, is that some of the most popular CPQs–like Salesforce CPQ–lack a visual element. Fortunately, if you're a Salesforce CPQ user and want to leverage visual product configuration, you don't have to rip and replace. All you need to do is visit the Salesforce AppExchange and integrate a visual CPQ solution like KBMax CPQ.
How a 3D Product Configurator Helps Manufacturers Sell More
If you sell products with hundreds or even thousands of complex options, then you will find 3D product configuration particularly valuable. You can show prospects every potential product you can produce–even those you've never physically manufactured before.
To that end, here are the main benefits of visual product configuration.
Gives Buyers a Crystal-Clear Preview
According to research from Gartner, 77% of B2B buyers found their latest purchase process complex. And 22% of respondents attributed the complexity to time spent discussing products with their buying committee.
Visual product configuration simplifies this part of the process. Its 3D product renderings offer buyers a complete preview of their product, giving them the confidence and assets they need to place an order themselves or make a case to their committee and get buy-in.
Empowers Your Buyers to Self-Serve
We all know that today's B2B buyers would rather not speak to sales reps if they don't have to! This observation is backed up by multiple studies, including a recent TrustRadius report that found almost 100% of B2B buyers prefer a self-serve sales model.
So, how can you enable your buyers to self-serve without making mistakes or buying products that aren’t manufacturable with a decent margin? Answer: By implementing a visual product configurator.
Visual configurators rely on a CPQ system's rules engine to determine the viability of every configuration. The configurator guides users to their optimal product through prompts and visual cues without letting inaccuracies creep into the process.
Improves Conversion Rates
A visual buying experience goes a long way in addressing the initial friction buyers have when configuring complex products or buying from a new brand.
Seeing designs on the screen in front of them serves as an excellent lever for optimizing conversion rates, giving buyers the confidence needed to move to the next stage in the sales process.
Simply by replacing 2D images with 3D, companies have been able to improve conversion rates by up to 40%. KBMax CPQ users increase their average deal sizes by up to 100% by making the purchase process smooth, fast, and transparent with 3D, AR, and VR configuration experiences.
CPQ Beyond Product Visualization
Visual configuration drives customer experiences, but there’s more to CPQ than its client-facing benefits. Here’s what you can expect from a robust CPQ solution behind the scenes:
Dynamic pricing: CPQs compute prices in real-time. They factor in internal discounts and external information, such as material and supply costs, to calculate prices optimized for conversion.
No-code rules engine: Modern CPQs offer a built-in no-code rules engine. The rules engine is your CPQs brain that lets you add rules and constraints around processes without writing a single line of code. This means general business users can do the job of IT specialists, saving you time and money.
Ecommerce integration: The best CPQs integrate with your ecommerce website, allowing buyers to select a configuration and study it thoroughly from anywhere in the world. Embedding a visual product configurator is as straightforward as copying and pasting a few lines of code.
Document automation: CPQ auto-generates documentation, including CAD drawings, CNC cut sheets, and bills of materials based on the buyer’s selected configuration.
24×7 access: A cloud-based CPQ ensures your team has access to your visual product configurator–complete with all your product data– whenever they need it, as long as they have a device with an active internet connection.
Future-Proof Your Business with a 3D Product Configurator
As more buyers look for self-serve options, you need to ensure your online experience stands out from the competition. You can do that with visual product configuration.
A best-in-class 3D product configurator makes your product options easy to understand, reducing purchase anxiety. Buyers get so attached to their configurations that they frequently upsell themselves, increasing deal size. It also gives buyers immediate feedback to place an order or get buy-in before a competitor swoops in to scupper the deal. Buyers spend more quickly and enjoy the experience so much they keep returning for more.
