interview with the head of an industry marketplace
Alexey Tkachenko, CEO and chief developer of the service for embedding 3D models on websites Site3D Configuratorexplains why it is worth considering 3D tools to improve the company's efficiency and shares a case study of implementing a 3D configurator on the SLOROS marketplace.
Let's start with the basics. What are 3D configurators?
3D configurator is an interactive technology that allows you to interact with a 3D model of a product online. The model can be viewed in 3D, VR and AR modes, downloaded for use in other applications or added directly to the shopping cart. Unlike other 3D technologies, 3D configurators are easy to use and accessible to a wide audience.
Using 3D configurators
3D configurators are used in a variety of industries, including fashion, furniture and automotive.
World-famous companies Adidas and Nike are introducing 3D configurators for shoes and clothing, offering customers the opportunity to personalize the color and design of their favorite model.
In the furniture industry, 3D configurators are used by IKEA and Pottery Barn to allow customers to customize a furniture model and then conveniently “try it on” right in their own home.
Automotive giants like Porsche and BMW are adding 3D configurators to showcase their cars in depth. In other words, for companies that offer complex or customizable products, investing in this technology is key to attracting customers.
There are indeed many advantages to using 3D configurators.
The ability to interact with the model online simplifies the sales process and increases the time the user spends on the site. A realistic, eye-catching image of the product creates emotional involvement of customers, which increases their loyalty to the brand.
Previously, customers had to go to stores to see what a product looked like in reality. With a modern 3D configurator, they can not only rotate the product 360°, but also “try on” the model using augmented reality (AR) technologies.
3D configurators also minimize errors when choosing a product – the user knows exactly what he will receive. This reduces the number of returns and reduces the workload on the sales department. This customer-oriented approach gives the business a competitive advantage.
Some statistics:
Using 3D configurators can increase the likelihood of a purchase by 11 times;
Retailers report up to 40% increase in conversion rates when implementing 3D configurators;
Product visualization can reduce the number of returns by up to 35%;
Using 3D technology can increase user engagement in a product by 66%.
After making a decision to implement 3D technologies on a website, a business faces a number of questions
How to choose a 3D configurator? How much time will it take? Is it possible to integrate several models at once on the site? Or several hundred? How to add new models and is it possible to edit old ones? And what if something goes wrong? To minimize such worries, it is important for 3D configuration services to focus on the interests of business, in other words, to use a business-friendly approach.
These and other questions were discussed in an interview with Alexey Kondrashin, head of the sloros.ru project, who shared his impressions of the integration of the 3D configurator onto the web platform.
How did you come to implement a 3D configurator on the platform?
The main mission of our company is to give the buyer as much information about the product as possible. We have a specific product: we sell fittings, complex modular parts. Let's take a furniture hinge as an example: a picture often cannot accurately convey its shape and operating principle. The same with furniture handles: it is not always clear from a 2D image whether they will fit the facade in appearance or size. We have had the idea of using 3D models in product cards for a long time. We tried working with free services to check whether this would interest the buyer. And the response was very positive.
But the free module had problems with displaying the model, crashes often occurred, and it looked ugly when instead of a model on the screen there was an error message. The only plus is that it is free. Having studied the reaction of users to 3D models of products, we began to look for more stable and functional 3D configurators.
How long did it take to find a company that could help implement the solution?
In a week, we selected about 7 services, after comparison we settled on the domestic service Site3D Configurator and started testing. The representative quickly sent detailed information, asked leading questions, delved into the details of our site's operation, and delved into how we planned to use the service. After implementing the 3D configurator on the site, we were convinced that it not only meets our expectations, but even partly exceeds them. It works stably and conveniently, very functional.
Have you considered foreign services?
Yes, but we decided not to take risks: we understood that a foreign service could stop supporting us at any moment or simply close access.
You have quite a large range of products – it was necessary to implement more than 1000 models on the site. Were there any difficulties?
Before our case, the service did not have the functionality of mass adding of models to the site. The developers met us halfway and quickly finalized it at our request. We were able to upload all the models at once. We didn’t even upload them – we simply transferred the file with the models to the service side.
We understood that we would have a lot of models, and wanted to reduce the load on our server as much as possible: the speed of the site was important to us. Site3D Configurator processes models on the side of its service, which was an advantage for us – it freed up our server resources.
Did you have any ready-made 3D models, or did you have to create them separately?
We take models from official sources of the companies that manufacture the goods we work with. They are proven and the most accurate. But in the future, we plan to make our own models for those goods for which there are no ready-made models.
The functionality of the 3D configurator includes the ability to download a PDF version of the model, send a link to the model, view dimensions, use AR and VR technologies, and more. What is most important for demonstrating your product?
The options to view the dimensions of a model and “try it on” using AR for a detailed examination of the product are most often used by visitors to our site. Some study models using VR technology. Together with the service developer, in the future we plan to implement the functionality of assembling one large furniture model from several models or parts.
How long did it take to integrate the 3D configurator into your platform?
The integration was quite fast, taking one day in total. Afterwards, there were some tasks to style the models and widget, but they were quickly resolved in the process. All necessary improvements from the service side were carried out promptly and ahead of the promised deadlines.
How long does it take to automatically add models to the site?
From the very beginning, we chose a single style for displaying the model in the widget and use it for all models. Despite the fact that we upload models frequently and in large quantities, it usually takes only 10-20 minutes to upload an archive with models and apply this style.
What does the process of automated editing of existing projects look like now? Are there any difficulties?
We haven't made any edits yet. We have some issues with changing model names, but this is related to the chosen model naming system, not the service. Project names are a parameter we get from the service; they help determine which model to display on the page.
How would you rate the impact of the 3D configurator on the development of your business?
As for the numerical indicators, it is difficult to make precise measurements due to seasonality, the appearance of other services on the site and other factors. It is possible to track returns related to errors in the sizes or external data of the goods, there are fewer of them, but they also depend not only on the availability of 3D models. We cannot say that the 3D configurator directly affects sales volume. But its presence has a positive effect on user loyalty. We have noticed an increase in positive reviews about our company, which we associate with increased attention to content and ease of use.
Users appreciated the ability to study a product using a 3D model, which helps to better understand the functional parameters of the product and its dimensions. This is especially noted by professionals who can carefully examine the product and compare it with alternatives.
Conclusion
As the case shows, positive experience of using 3D configurators is formed not only by end consumers, but also by businesses. Modern services offer convenient and simple solutions for integrating 3D models into web platforms, which can be called a business-friendly approach. This is combined with extensive functionality: a mix of virtual and augmented reality technologies (VR and AR) provides even more opportunities for demonstrating a product.
We expect 3D configurators to continue to gain popularity, which will contribute to the development of the 3D marketing industry.
