Digital sales

7 tips: Increase sales with configurators

Author: Elisabeth Sonnleitner

Not all configurators are the same. But what really matters? It is not always easy for a layman to recognize that essential points must be taken into consideration as early as the concept creation stage and a clear strategy must be pursued. The primary goal of any configurator is to sell. However, this can only be achieved with the right implementation. We have summarized the 7 measures that make a configurator a top salesperson.

 

1. Open-choice configuration

A distinction can essentially be made between two types of configurator structure. In a "tunnel configuration", also known as "step-by-step configuration", customers are guided through the configurator step by step. In Step 1, the color can be selected, in Step 2, the desired material is defined, etc..... If customers are at Step 5, they can only return to Step 1 via the individual intermediate steps.

Really good configurators follow the open-choice principle. This means that users can move freely through the configurator without having to follow a fixed sequence. You are not restricted and can switch between the individual configuration steps as often as you like. This leads to a higher user-friendliness and subsequently to an increase in performance & sales.

7 tips: Increase sales with configurators

2. Valid configuration

Another success principle is to have a valid configuration at all times. This means that the configurator moves within the defined, closed solution space from the start to the end. This avoids invalid configurations and products that cannot be produced are not suggested in the first place. Customers can, so to speak, configure only those products that can actually be produced. When opening the configurator, the user already finds a valid product that can be ordered. This eliminates a great deal of consultation with customers during the order preparation process and gives companies the opportunity to digitize and completely automate the ordering process. 

Example: Bike model A is available in blue, brown and turquoise and in three different frame sizes.The customer chooses the color turquoise and the frame size M.

The customer then switches to model B. Whenever the customer changes something, a check is made in the background to see whether settings already made can be adopted or not - so that only valid or orderable options are available. This is a great added value for the customer because, for example, he does not have to enter the appropriate frame size each time. In this practical example, the frame size setting can be adopted. The color turquoise is not adopted, because it is not available for model B. The color is changed to blue. It changes to blue because this was defined as the fall-back color in the background.

Configurators that do not follow the "validity principle" cause annoyance among customers and result in high bounce rates and a lack of sales.

7 tips: Increase sales with configurators

3. User Interface (Simplicity & Usability )

The user interface (UI) is the surface of the configurator and at the same time the interface between user and product. The goal is to minimize the bounce rate, i.e. the number of cancelled configurations. Various psychological factors such as the "paradox of choice" play a role. If these factors are disregarded, they lead to the fact that the user in the configuration process is too overwhelmed to make decisions, and therefore does not finish the configuration. The increase in conversion remains missing.Tip: In the best case, the configurator is placed so prominently that users can easily find it. The best configurator will not increase sales if customers cannot find it.
 

4. Performance | Speed

Long loading times and delays are an absolute no-go. As with a website, it is the response time when interacting with the configurator that counts. This does not include the loading time when starting the configurator. The higher the quality of the 3D models, the longer the initial loading takes. Here it is advisable to draw the user's attention in a charming way and to give feedback on what is happening.

 

5. Performance | Success measurability

Configurators without the possibility to measure success are simply useless. Make sure you have a reasonable dashboard that provides information about conversion rate & co. The most important key figures include: 

  • number of configurations
  • number of checkouts
  • how often was something ordered/requested
  • how often was something shared on social media
  • how high is the increase in sales that was achieved through the configurator


A really good configurator must increase the conversion rate, boost sales and create interaction. This can only be successfully assessed if the necessary key figures are available.

 

6. 80/20 rule

Does a configurator have to contain all variations of a product? Our answer is no. This is also the reason why numerous configurator projects fail. Combeenation recommends the 80/20 rule. Try to represent 80% of your customer cases with a configurator. If you try to represent every single case, you waste time and money and often endanger the other success factors like simplicity, usability and performance.

 

7. 3D Visualization

The closer a product presentation corresponds to the original product, there is less desire to experience the product in real life. The visualization must be top-notch, must blow the customers' minds and inspire them. Only in this way can users be persuaded to make a purchase. Let's imagine this sentence: "If a picture says more than 1,000 words, what does a 3D visualization say? Want to learn more about this in the blog article "3D Visualization vs. Product Photography"?

 

Conclusion: Always rely on and professionals. Always keep in mind: It is not enough that a configurator delivers beautiful product images. The decisive factor is that it helps to increase sales!

Do you already know the configurators from Combeenation? Are you ready for your sales boost? We look forward to hearing from you! 

 

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