How to have a shorter sales cycle with a 3D configurator

A shorter sales cycle involves making a sale in a smaller amount of time (duh!). It requires fewer steps and allows businesses to reach more customers and make larger sales, resulting in higher revenues. A shorter sales cycle can also motivate your team in their efforts since they’ll be able to close deals faster. 

Customers also tend to favor this type of cycle, given that you provide a quality product and not something rushed. Having a shorter sales cycle can help you have a competitive advantage, especially if the times-to-market in your industry take a bit longer. 

How to have a shorter sales cycle with a 3D configurator

The essentials of 3D configuration with Expivi

A 3D configurator uses 3D models of products to showcase them in 360 degrees allowing the shopper to change their features and view them online as realistically as possible.

What do you need to have a 3D configurator with Expivi?

  1. 3D models of your product(s). If you don’t have them, Expivi’s artists can create them for you.
  2. Know what you want your clients to be able to configure and change.
  3. An eCommerce website to harbor the configurator.

That’s it. Once the configurator is ready and some tweaks are eventually made, your customers will be able to change your product(s) characteristics through your product page. For example, when buying a trailer, it could include modifying its size, color, and upholstery, upgrading the wheels, or adding internal features. 

The personalization and customization depend entirely on what you want, so besides changing color, size, and materials, customers can also be able to engrave or accessorize the items, for example.

Other than that, the configurator creates a realistic representation of the products, that the shopper can inspect from every angle.

Shortening the sales cycle

Implementing a faster sales journey is something most companies strive for. Automation is one way to do it. But it comes with less personalization, which many times translates into fewer opportunities and wins.

A 3D configurator can help businesses shorten their sales cycle by providing more personalization whilst engaging the customer in the process. Great visuals of your products and all possible product variations in one place. Let’s go through some examples.

A retail supply design company decided to implement a 3D configurator internally to optimize their hanger sales. Now, their teams can easily create a visual representation of what the client says they want using the configurator, and send it directly to them, instead of having to create a design from scratch. This saves a lot of time in designing prototypes for each customer and also helps salespeople optimize their meetings.

how to have a shorter sales cycle and a trailer in 3d in a pc

It also works for complex solutions. Eduard, a trailer company, now showcases on their product page over 10.000 variations. After having 3D models of every part of their product and deciding what they wanted the clients to be able to configure, Eduard integrated the configurator into their website. Since then, they have tripled their sales while needing fewer sales power. 

Eduard shortened their sales cycle by having all the possible product combinations available on their website. The client chooses the options that are available, a quote is automatically created considering the customizations, and an automatic Bill of Materials is sent to production with every component.

“It was a no-brainer to choose to work with Expivi. We have more than 10.000 variations of our product. Expivi’s 3D configurator enabled us to showcase all combinations while giving the customer the power to create their dream trailer. Standing still is going backward and Eduard is in constant motion.” 

Niko Saris, eCommerce & Business Development Manager at Eduard.

Using Expivi’s CPQ (custom, price, quote) 3D configurator with an integrated ERP system brands, sales teams, customers, and manufacturers are connected through one platform. For a shorter sales cycle. For fewer product mistakes and higher revenue.

Did you like this article on how to have a shorter sales cycle? Then read about how Eduard did it, right here!

Metaverse meaning for eCommerce – 3 things you need to know

Metaverse has been named the future of eCommerce and, although not a new thing, its concept, and implications in online shopping are still unknown to many. In this article, we’ll go through the metaverse meaning for eCommerce businesses and why you should be one step ahead of the competition by grasping its power.

Metaverse meaning – breaking it down

The metaverse can be a difficult concept to understand. It comes down to a combination of several technological innovations that all operate seamlessly together. It’s a virtual world that mimics aspects of the physical world using those technological innovations such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and digital currency. 

In the metaverse, people can use representations of themselves aka avatars to communicate with each other and virtually build, shop, socialize, etc. In this world, digital currency is used to buy goods and even services. To fully enjoy and be immersed in the metaverse, users have to use virtual reality headsets and controllers.

Is the metaverse meaning sort of clear? Let us know if it needs a bit more clarification

Key characteristics

We have tackled the metaverse meaning, let’s go through some of its key characteristics.

Social and interactive

According to Gartner, 25% of people will spend at least one hour a day in the Metaverse for work, shopping, education, social media, and entertainment by 2026.

Very much like most of the social media platforms we have, people will be empowered to engage with other people, and share ideas and content, either created by themselves or others. 

The metaverse can take social interaction one step further by allowing users to interact as they would in real life. 

Easily accessible

The metaverse seems a bit out of reach at this point. The tech behind it is still expensive but the fact is that it can be accessed using several forms of hardware. Entering this immersive world will not be a problem once the market evolves. 

We’ve been seeing that evolution on a daily bases. Mobile phones now have AR capabilities, for example. This means that one can use a phone camera, see if a sofa fits in the living room or if a hair dye matches one’s complexion.

The metaverse meaning is evolving every day and it’s growing to become increasingly inclusive of all things real.

It’s the bridge between the real and virtual worlds

One should be able to interchange between worlds. Let’s say for example that you are trying out a jacket in the virtual world and you want to purchase it, not only to use in the metaverse but in the real world too. The metaverse could allow you to get a feel of what the jacket looks like on you and help you with your purchase decision.

Are you enjoying this article on the metaverse meaning and its key benefits? Then read more about it here.

It can benefit many industries

The metaverse is often associated with gaming, and rightfully so, for a long time, it was gaming territory. Not anymore. The virtual world is open to industries such as fashion, food retail, entertainment, furniture, and so on. Whether companies want to take advantage of its full potential or start just with augmented reality, it’s an industry-inclusive world.

metaverse meaning with different screens and different products in 3d

Top metaverse benefits for eCommerce

Personalization

Personalization in eCommerce can be difficult to achieve, which is why most brands tend to just use personalized marketing. In Metaverse, companies will be able to offer their customers hyper-personalized experiences without worrying about the physical world’s many barriers. It can also work for product personalization. Let’s use the furniture industry as an example. 

In the metaverse, shoppers can create a model of their own home and use the metaverse to virtually decorate it, so they can then buy the items in real life, and already know it would work for them. In the virtual world, customers will be empowered to change sizes, colors, and shapes at the same time they change the location of the product to see if it fits their requirements.

Community building

Having a metaverse-friendly brand will help online companies to empower their customers to engage more with their products. For most brands, it is not possible to try on a product or to see it in a context. In the metaverse, all those things will be enabled and brands can even play with other strategies such as exclusive discounts or product launches. 

Better customer insights

In the metaverse, companies can have access to all the normal Marketing KPIs but they can also take it up a notch. The virtual world will allow brands to test the penetration of their products without having to manufacture them. Depending on the engagement a certain product receives, brands will have a better knowledge of how much of it to produce and even what kind of personalization to provide. 

More profit opportunities

Studies show that shoppers are willing to pay as much as 40% more for a product that can be tested in 3D, which is what the metaverse is all about. Why? Because customers will be able to make better-informed decisions regarding their purchases.

Besides, if the customers are encouraged to interact with the products before they order them, brands will experience lower return rates, since the client will have a better idea of what it really looks like and how it fits into their desired context.

3D configuration in the metaverse

The metaverse is in 3D. 

Creating 3D models of every single product and their personalization can be expensive and time-consuming. It requires a skilled workforce and a lot of resources. A 3D configurator can help companies to optimize this process by facilitating the personalization process, and providing great visualization.

Through a 3D configurator, companies are able to create real-life models of their products and allow the customers to change their features at the same time they can inspect every little detail from 360 degrees.

It’s the perfect tool for those who are thinking ahead and want to be ready for the metaverse. Did you enjoy this article on the metaverse meaning and its application? Would you like to know how it could work for your business? Ping us!

How to nail custom online products to increase sales

What’s on the mind of many B2C brands? To increase sales and profitability. From engaging customers to upscaling, the strategies to get there vary. 

Providing shoppers with custom online products can be a great addition to maximizing sales and fully grasping the potential of your products.

Why? How? Don’t leave, we’ll go through it step by step.

Custom online products: what’s the benefit?

The benefits of getting product customization right are never-ending—the reason why is simple. 

You provide a product. That product is created with a persona in mind, however, every person is unique, and although the solution you provide resonates with them, it’s not tailor-made, it’s not specific to their needs and desires. 

This results in buyers struggling to find the best product that targets their requirements and potentially engaging with other brands other than yours.

Custom online products engage and empower the customer in their buying journey. Puts the creation wand in their hand. The significant benefits are, amongst others:

  1. Higher product page engagement
  2. Better customer experience
  3. Increased customer loyalty
  4. Fewer returns
  5. Competitive advantage

Engaging and focusing on your customers while channeling the full potential of your solution is what custom online products are all about. 

Custom online products inevitably are meant to increase profit, but what is the right way to do it? 

How can you provide customization on your website without completely changing it? How can you enable customization no matter how many product variations you’d like to provide? How can you fit it into your business strategy? Stay tuned.

custom online products as part of ecommerce and scrabble like letters on blue background spelling strategy

3D configuration as a customization tool

A 3D configurator creates virtual 3D models of your products, enabling you to have visually rich interactive solutions that can be added to your online store.

3D configuration fuels customization. How? With a configurator, you can choose what attributes you want shoppers to be able to customize. For example, when customizing a car, it could include modifying its color, upgrading the wheels, or adding internal features such as an upgraded stereo or touchscreen.

This element of creation and product interactions elevates the entire customer experience. The product is no longer a static image but a detailed construction that the customer can inspect from every angle. Using a phone, tablet, or computer, they can zoom in or out, examining a 360° image of a product before it’s ever produced. 

Buyers are empowered in their journey by being able to “feel” for the textures, details, and quality. The sensorial journey can be upgraded when 3D configuration is combined with Augmented Reality, but that’s a different story.

Or is it? Expivi’s 3D configuration platform has AR capabilities, which means that besides creating their own design of your products, the shoppers can also place it in their desired context. A sofa in their living room, a table in their dining room…

Expivi’s 3D configurator for custom online products

3D configurators can be comprehensive to integrate and require a lot of work to maintain. Let’s say you want to add a few color options to a specific product you sell, or even textures. With a built-in 3D configurator, it takes time and a qualified workforce to change the code behind it.

Using Expivi, once you have the 3D configurator integrated onto your website, it’s easy to update and even upscale it. It’s a no-code configurator that works using a configuration flow (hierarchy system). It requires one or two days of training to fully learn how to use it, but once your team knows the essentials, everything becomes easy.

To have a fully working configurator and custom online products with Expivi, you need to undergo three main phases: 

1- Preparation

First things first. You need to have an eCommerce website and 3D models of your products. If you don’t have those models, Expivi’s talented 3D artists can create them for you. After that, you need to create an Expivi account at www.expivi.net.

2- Configuration

The second major step is to create attributes. To do so, you’ll have to ask yourself:

  • Do I know how many variations my product needs to have? How many colors, textures, and shapes?
  • What parts of your product do I want to configure? Do I want to make everything customizable or just certain things?
  • What options and variations is your market looking for?
  • What are my competitors missing out on?

Depending on the nature of your product you might want to provide color options, different sizes, and/or accessories. This is what is known as the configuration flow. Think about the options you want to provide your customers and in what order. Our team will be with you every step of the way to make sure the process goes smoothly.

3- Integration

The final step is to integrate the configurator onto the website. Depending on which eCommerce platform you use (Shopify, SAP, WooCommerce…) it may vary, but our team can also help you with this and see what’s the best fit. Always good to remember that it is a no-code configurator, so you don’t need a team of developers to maintain or update it.

Custom online products require a lot from a lot of people, from product designers to manufacturers it’s difficult to get it right. The question is what if you could have all of the involved links connected through one single platform? Maybe it would be easier.

Reach out to us if you think we can be a part of each other’s futures.

Did you like this article on custom online products? Then read more about its benefits right here.

 

3 ways to increase sales in eCommerce with an innovative digital platform

There’s no escaping the digital world, and if you are not embracing it by now, it might already be too late. A 3D configuration platform is the ideal tool to increase sales in eCommerce. How do they work?

Well, 3D configurators give customers the power to create their ideal version of your product.

First, you need to have 3D models of your product(s). Second, you need to know what you want your clients to be able to change and configure. Third, an eCommerce platform is required, so that the configurator can be integrated into it. 

After that, customers can change the product’s characteristics through your product page. For example, when buying a trailer, it could include modifying its size, color, and upholstery, upgrading the wheels, or adding internal features.

What’s more is that the configurator creates an uncanny representation of the real thing, that the buyer can look at from every angle with great precision. Shoppers can zoom in or out, inspecting every element before production.

Depending on what kind of customization/personalization you want to provide, besides changing color, size, and materials, customers can also be able to engrave or accessorize the items.

The ability to engage and interact with the product empowers customers in their buying journey as they get to “feel” textures and details, almost as if they were touching them.

There are many 3D product configurators out there. What sets Expivi apart from them? Well, it’s a no-code configurator, it’s easy to update and maintain, it’s industry and product flexible and it has a team of experts guiding companies all the way through the project (and after).

Besides, Expivi is a CPQ (configure, price, quote) software which means that the client can see price changes in real-time and after the order is created, a Bill of Materials (BOM) is created and automatically sent to production. It’s the ideal tool to increase sales and this is why.

Higher product page engagement

According to the Baymard Institute: “It’s often on the product page where users make up their mind on whether or not they want to purchase the featured product. This makes the product page layout, product page design, and features, the centerpiece of the user’s eCommerce experience.”

Purchase probability reaches the highest when a person spends around 50 seconds on a product page. In order to increase the average time per session, you need to have an engaging journey. A poor visual interface means fewer sales and a bad customer experience.

3D configuration will help you solve this by enabling your clients to experience a product as they would in real life. Customers can play with it, turning it around, zooming in and out, and checking every little detail. Great visualization through a 3D configurator will help you increase sales.

A woman holding a tablet and scrolling through a product page to increase sales

Higher conversion rate

3D configuration and customized products can not only increase sales as a whole but they can also add to the value per customer. 

Deloitte found that shoppers are willing to pay up to 20% more for personalized products. Also, offering customers the opportunity to customize products is important. Product customization can increase sales by 22-30%, according to McKinsey.

The impact of 3D configuration platforms cannot be ignored. It triggers personalization and customization. In fact, those who provide these opportunities grow 40% faster than those who don’t. Customers who are able to personalize products also buy more.

For eCommerce companies, this means more conversions, more sales, less waste, and fewer returns.

Enhanced customer loyalty

To increase sales should have a multi-channel approach, and a good CX (customer experience) is pivotal to get there. Product customization through 3D configuration can offer just that to eCommerce businesses.

As we’ve mentioned before, you’d be providing great visualization as you also engage your customer in the buying journey, empowering them to create a product that is unique to their needs. This inevitably contributes to the overall customer satisfaction with your service and brand.

With 3D configuration and personalization, every product is unique and created from scratch. This implies that the production chain needs to have a high level of control. 

Controlling your product’s lifecycle, especially when it comes to manufacturing and transportation, is key for a good CX. Why? Because it will lead to fewer defective products and fewer product returns.

Using Expivi you can control every step of the way through a unified ERP system. What does this mean? The customer configures, pays and a the BOM is automatically created at the time of purchase. This BOM is then immediately sent to manufacturers (and eventually suppliers) containing all the information needed to produce the item (materials, quantities…). This is all processed in one platform.

Fewer defective products lead to customer loyalty, and as we know customer loyalty leads to higher revenue. 

3D configuration can help eCommerce companies to increase sales and target important issues such as sustainability. Would you like to know how? Book a free demo with us, we’d love to have a quick chat.

Did you like this article on how to increase sales using an innovative digital platform? Then download our whitepaper here.