You would like to invest in a configurator and don`t know what costs you will incur as a configurator? It is not possible to make a concrete statement about the costs, as various factors are taken into account when creating a configurator. These inculde in particular the effort required to program the configurator and the area in which this configurator is used. The more complex the industry, the more comprehensive the configurator and therefore also the effort. This is reflected in the price. If a configurator already exists in the basic framework, the costs are lower than with a new programming. For this reason, an individual offer is always appropriate.
Individuality strongly influences the price.
Individuality costs money. Since a configurator must always be programmed or adapted individually, flat-rate prices are not possible. Flat-rate prices are only available for a basic configurator without modifications. Additional costs are due for adjustments.
Let`s take the furniture industry as an example. A manufacturer would like to offer its customers the possibility of ordering individual chairs in the future with a furniture configurator. For this he needs a configurator with which the customer can configure his desired furniture according to his ideas.
The complexity of this furniture configurator is high. In addition to the basic framework with features such as furniture type, dimensions and color, the manufacturer need additional tools. These can be the shape of the back of the chair, the pattern of the seat, the type of legs or the material of the seat cover. These features are not available in basic configurators and must be newly developed and programmed. That`s a lot of work. Under certain circumstances, programming a tool can take several hours to days, since the functionality has to be tested in parallel and adapted according to customer feedback. In some cases a step-by-step construction of the furniture configurator is also necessary until the optimal tool is ready.
The situation is similar in the stove and chimney construction industry. Although more and more manufacturers are offering stove and fireplaces sets, more manufacturers are still focusing on individuality – especially in the higher price range. An example: The chimney constructor would like to make special chimney designs possible for his customers. Other options are available from round, angular to oval. To give customers an idea of their modifications as early as the configuration stage, the manufacturer wants to enter images in the configurator. In addition to the features such as size, color and type of glass, this requires visualizations. Of course, these pictures should be realistic as possible. With the help of 3D visualizations, the customer should get an idea of his individual product already during the configuration. Programming in 2D is of course much cheaper than in 3D. However, it also offers fewer visualization options.
Why you should invest in a configurator.
The advantages of investing in a configurator are obvious. In addition to independent advice at any time of day, the configurator saves considerable labour costs. Instead of a consultant, all you need is a configurator. He takes over the function of the consultant and supports your customer in his decision without influencing him. At the same time you achieve a higher reach and a longer retention of customers on your homepage. You will rise in the Google Ranking, be found more easily and thus get better sales figures. In addition, you have a unique selling point in your industry. So far only a few manufacturers and service providers use this helpful tool. In addition, digitalization reduces the error rate – reason enough to choose a configurator.
A configurator offers the following advantages:
You must reckon with these costs.
The costs for a configurator therefore vary depending on the complexity, coverage and type of visualization. This means that the costs for a configurator can be between 10.000 and 100.000 Euros. However, costs can also be reduced.
The lower the requirements on the configurator, the lower the costs. It is always a good idea to choose a configurator that already exists as the basic framework. In this case, only adjustments that are less cost-intensive are necessary. The features of a basic framework include the standard dimensions of the respective product, the color, material type, samples and variants. Any feature that goes beyond that is reflected in the price. In addition, there are the costs for licenses, hosting, maintenance and further developments.
How to minimize the costs for your configurator.
Every beginning is difficult. Those who start with a small capital can initially work with a basic configurator and few adjustments. Reprogramming is possible at any time.
Thus, instead of 3D visualizations, normal 2D visualizations can be used in the initial phase. It is also possible to reduce complexity. Let us stick to the example of the furniture manufacturer. He wanted to offer his customers the opportunity to have individual chairs designed. Up to now he needed the features type of furniture, the different dimensions of the furniture, colour, shape of the chair back, the pattern of the seat, the type of chair legs and the type of material of the seat cover. Now he wants to save costs. He does without 3D visualizations and uses 2D instead. His customers can now configure the dimensions of the furniture, the colour, the fabric cover and the type of chair legs. Depending on customer demand, the configurator will later be expanded to include consultation videos on the individual configuration options, the modification of the backrest and the pattern of the seat.
This saves the customer considerable programming costs. For the most part, the basic configurations such as dimensions of the furniture, colour and type of material already exists. Only a few adjustments were necessary. Only the type of chair legs had to be reprogrammed and the 2D visualizations installed.
Cooperation with a professional agency for configurators also helps to save costs. These are able to provide ready-made basic configurators and thus reduce costs. In addition, professional agencies are up and running faster, so the configurator is up and running in no time. If necessary, you will give an introduction to the use of the configurator. This way you get the most out of your tool.
You do not know whether there is already a configurator for your industry or whether a configurator for your product is worthwhile? No problem. We would be happy to advise you on your project and the costs or expenses that you may incur. This is the best way to assess whether a configurator is worthwhile for you.
Thanks for reading.