6 Major Benefits of 3D Visual Configurations

E ver ordered something online, only to be disappointed upon receiving it since the product didn’t match the image displayed on the website?

Although this situation isn’t uncommon in online shopping, 3D visual configurations offer a promising alternative that may prevent such scenarios from occurring.

In this article, we’ll list a few significant benefits of 3D visual configurations. In doing so, we hope to convince you why implementing 3D visual configurations into your business can help it grow.

What Is 3D Visual Configuration?

A 3D visual configuration is a 3D model output that designers can display using a 3D visual configurator.

In the past, product listings only utilized flat 2D images on a website that gave a very limited picture of the product. By contrast, 3D visual configurations enable customers to view products from multiple angles in different configurations.

Six Major Benefits of 3D Visual Configurations

Although more time-consuming to implement than simple 2D product images, 3D visual configurations come with their own host of benefits.

Here are six major benefits of 3D visual configurations, in no particular order:

Better Customization Options

A potential client can play around with the configurator, trying a myriad of different options to visualize what their desired product might look like.

They can configure a product uniquely tailored to their individual preferences. There can possibly be a great number of different configurations available for a single product. 

In addition, many configurators give the option to display the price for different configurations, which is an important factor that goes into the decision-making process of a purchase.

Greater Emotional Investment

People are more likely to cooperate when they feel that their input matters. When people see that their suggestions and ideas are involved in an outcome, they will show more enthusiasm.

Generally, when people go through a catalog of different products, they are looking at someone else’s idea of what they should look like. The products will look like what the marketing team or the photographers want them to look like.

As a result, a potential client sifting through a catalog is unlikely to emotionally resonate with the product lineup.

By contrast, if clients are able to view the product in a configurator, they may also be able to personalize it to their own personal requirements and taste. Therefore, they will feel that they are getting what they want rather than having someone else’s ideas imposed upon them, 

Greater Conversion Rates

Conversion rates are vital for any business with an online presence. If a customer has greater interaction during the purchase process, this will more likely lead to a sale.

Potential customers are more likely to make a purchase when they see a product configured to their liking, with the exact features that they want instead of presets.

They are likely to purchase when they feel they have greater agency to select a product that looks and feels just right.

Lower Return Rate

According to a survey, up to 60% of customers return their products after purchasing them. There can be different reasons; the product might not look like what they saw in the photos on the catalog. 

Maybe the photos didn’t display the product from certain angles or in certain lighting conditions, and they don’t look as good in real life. After seeing the product in the flesh, it might not resonate with them.

Using a visual configurator, they are more likely to make an informed decision before purchasing, leading to reduced return rates.

Greater Retention Rates

If a first-time customer has a great experience during his first purchase, they will more likely become a repeat customer.

A visual configurator thus increases the likelihood that the customer will receive a product that they are truly satisfied with, and they are less likely to return it.

This option will make the customer have a more positive view of the company, increasing their likelihood of making more future purchases.

Cost-Effectiveness

Having a configurator is much more effective than having a professional photoshoot, with a professional photographer, setting up an ideal location, and editing to get the desired photos.

A professional photographer can be pricey, and they may demand more for a larger product lineup. The individual costs for each product will add up as well.

Having multiple takes of a single product can also take time, especially when the photos have to be edited afterward, which might take days or weeks. A 3D visual configurator does away with all of this through 360-degree viewing angles and multiple color configurations.

The list above is by no means an exhaustive one; there are even more benefits of 3D visual configurations. Here, we’ve just listed the most significant ones.

Nonetheless, 3D visual configurations are an effective way to make your business have an effective online presence and increase customer satisfaction in the age of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).