Product Configurator Software

Explore the best product configurator software to meet the specific demands of your customers.

The task of configuring products according to the buyers' preferences has become highly significant these days. People look for configurable products that can be customized to tweak them as per their requirements. Thus, the use of a product configurator becomes a strategic choice among the manufacturers & sellers. It helps them convince their customers, close the deals easily, and ultimately achieve their sales goals.

What Is Product Configurator Software?

Product configuration software is a tool used by manufacturers to virtually portray the features, functionality, and qualities of a product before it is created. As a manufacturer, you can know your product before it is manufactured and it allows you to make choices relating to its features, design, color, size, and other customizable attributes. Implementing changes to a product after manufacturing can be a waste of time and money. The top product configurator software helps you manufacture customized products precisely per your buyers' specifications.

What Are The Benefits Of Using Product Configurator Software?

Product configuration software provides the ease of modeling the products per the customers' requirements before manufacturing.
As the product configuration software allows you to check the product's specifications before manufacturing, the risk of manufacturing the wrong product is minimized.
The best product configurator software enables customized manufacturing, and that attribute can attract and engage customers effectively.
A product configuration software can store the specifications of the previously manufactured products, making the production process easier for future orders.
Using a product configurator solution; the businesses can display different combinations and variations of the products in their catalog and increase their conversions.
Product configurator software helps manufacturers instantly identify what is feasible and not, helping them optimize the entire production process.
With the help of top product configurator software, it becomes easy to estimate the products' total manufacturing cost and provide the most accurate quote to the customers.

What Are The Features Of Product Configuration Software?

Product Visualization

Allows creating product visualizations in 2D/3D form based on the options selected. The users can also rotate, zoom in, and zoom out the visualizations to check the product specifications accurately.

Catalog Of Product Components

The product configuration software includes a catalog of product parts segmented into different categories. This helps the manufacturers in choosing the parts, components, and specifications required to configure the final products.

Generating Quotes

Based on the product parts and specifications selected, the product configuration software automatically calculates the final product's price and generates quotes. It also calculates the discounts and taxes based on the set rules, eliminating human errors.

Integrations

Product configurator solutions can integrate with ERP and CRM software allowing users to share the product specifications with the associated stakeholders and customers for quick approvals of product designs.

Rules and Regulations

With the help of product configurator tools, the manufacturers can easily set up rules and regulations to customize the products that comply with the legal requirements.

List Of Materials

The product configurator solution generates the list of materials that includes the quantity of the components and subcomponents required to build the product, enabling manufacturers to procure and manage inventory accurately.

Price Customization

Product configurator tools allow manufacturers to customize the product's price according to the components and specifications used in manufacturing it. This helps in manufacturing the products according to the budget limit set by the customers.

How do you select the best product configurator software?

Below are some of the top product configurator software intricately curated by Goodfirms. You can easily shortlist the product configurator software that fits your business size, deployment option, and budget with the help of the user-friendly filters here. Moreover, the detailed information and authentic reviews for each product configuration system would assist you in making the right purchase decision to meet your expectations and budget.

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Buyer’s Guide

Buyer's Guide To Product Configurator Software

Manufacturers are highly facing competitive differentiation these days. Making their product stand apart has become mandatory for them to survive in the industry. In this scenario, if the finished product is not as per the customers' expected quality or specifications, the business has to undergo delays in project completions, wastage, false starts, and many times even reworks, resulting in a waste of time and money.

In this age, when the customers' preferences matter a lot for the businesses, delivering the right products at the right time is essential, making the use of product configurator software is highly significant. Here, in this buyer's guide, we have included all the vital topics that would allow you to select the best product configurator software that can help you overcome even complex product manufacturing challenges.

What Is A Product Configurator?

A product configurator is a tool that helps the manufactures to portray the features, functionality, and qualities of a product virtually to its customer before the manufacturing process.

The best product configuration software allows you to customize the product, and it enables you to make choices relating to its features, design, color, size, and other features. It also allows you to identify what is feasible and what is not, helping you optimize the entire production process.

Moreover, the top product configurator software allows you to estimate the product’s total manufacturing cost and provide the most accurate quote to the customer.

What Are The Types Of Product Configurator?

The product configuration software can be divided based on three aspects: Deployment, Price, and Functionality.

A) Deployment

i) On-premise Product Configurator Software:

On-premises product configurator software is installed and runs on computers on the premises of the person or organization. Deploying an on-premise product configuration software would require you to invest in technical infrastructure and human resources having skills to deploy, run, and maintain the software within your premises.

ii) Cloud-Based Product Configurator Software:

Cloud-based product configurator software refers to applications deployed on the distant servers owned by the software vendors. The users can access the software using their devices and the internet from wherever they want. The benefit of using cloud-based remote work apps is that it would save your infrastructure and technical staff costs. The cloud-based software vendors would manage the task of managing and upgrading the product configurator software.

B) Price

i) Free Product Configurator Software:

Free product configurator software may include basic features. Still, it can be beneficial for freelancers, and startups, as they don't need to invest a considerable amount in staying on top of their work. If you are looking for a free option in this category, you can consider the free and open-source product configuration software available or a cloud-based free software like ShapeDiver.

ii) Freemium Product Configurator Software:

Freemium product configurator software may include features for some limited days or some restricted features for the premium user. For example, Sketchfab, inkXE, CET Designer, Product Configurator, Zakeke, 360 Product Software, DriveWorks, CPQcart, Product Customizer. You can try using one of these freemium product configurator software before investing in a particular software to minimize your risk level.

iii) Paid Product Configurator Software:

When it comes to selecting a paid remote work software, you need to choose one from the following options:

Purchase licensed copy of a product configurator software

Hire a team of developers or a software development company and pay them a mutually agreed amount for their services

Purchase monthly/yearly subscription of a product configurator software.

C) Functionality

i) Readymade Product Configurator Software:

Readymade product configurator software includes pre-designed features that cannot be customized as per your business logic.

ii) Customized Product Configurator Software:

The features of the customized product configurator software can be tweaked as per your business preferences. Usually, free and open-source product configurator software that allows changing code comes under this category.

iii) Knowledge-Based Engineering (KBE) Solution:

Knowledge-based engineering addresses the issue of capturing the knowledge created and used during the product development process and to facilitate re-use of the knowledge in the development of a new product of a similar product family. Knowledge re-use of KBE can save considerable time, cost, and effort at the design phase.

iv) ERP Product Configurators:

ERP Product configuration tools are meant for enterprise-level organizations having high-end requirements of managing their complicated product configuration tasks with minimum risk.

v) Product Visualization Solutions:

Product visualization solutions is the act of using renderings, images, and artwork to communicate your products to customers visually.

Importance Of A Product Configurator

i) A powerful product configurator helps visualize a product in a 2D/ 3D form based on the option selected. It also allows the user to zoom in and out and rotate the product and see all the products’ specific features.

ii) The top product configurator displays the product catalog, allowing the manufacturer to choose the parts, features, and specifications required to configure the final products.

iii) The product configurator software also automates the process of generating quotes based on the product parts and specifications selected. It also calculates the discounts and taxes based on the set rules, eliminating human errors.

What Is A Product Configurator Software?

A product configurator software is a tool that facilitates the automatic configuration of products.

The tool allows the user to design and configure 2D and 3D models of products to be manufactured.

It also allows you to add new features and change the existing functions and dimensions of a product to build a customized product.

Product configurator is a tool that helps the manufactures to portray the features, functionality, and qualities of a product virtually to their customers before the manufacturing process.

The best product configuration software allows you to customize the product before the manufacturing process, and it allows you to make choices relating to its features, design, color, size, and other customizable features; it will enable you to identify the realistically possible tasks, which is optimizing the entire production process.

What Is The Significance Of Product Configurator Software?

The use of product configurator software is highly significant because of the below-mentioned reasons -

i) Easy to use:

Product configurator software provides the ease to make changes as per the customers’ requirements. It permits the customer to make any kind of changes they want with many customization options. It also enables the customer with the new specifications. And lastly, when all the modifications are made, the software will grant you to visualize the product with augmented reality and virtual reality.

ii) Minimum risk:

Product configurator software allows you to check for the product specifications before the product’s manufacturing, minimizing the chances of rework and wastage.

iii) Helpful in future orders:

Product configuration software also helps the product’s configuration by saving the previous specifications and suggesting them in later production, making the production process easier for future orders.

Benefits Of Product Configurator Software

The benefits of product configuration software are:

Accuracy & Time-Saving

Product configuration software automates the process of calculating the price of the product based on the components and time likely to be used in the manufacturing process. Manually calculating the estimated cost of a product might be prone to errors causing discrepancies with the customers and loss to the business.

Minimizes risks

The best product configurator software minimizes the risk of getting the wrong product as it allows you to check the specifications of the product before the manufacturing process. Product configurator software will enable you to visualize your customized product with augmented reality and virtual reality. It will also prompt you with various options for your customization with the help of artificial intelligence. Hence, the risk involved with manufacturing any product decreases.

Saves earlier customization

As the product configuration software allows you to save the customization done earlier, it becomes easy and less time consuming for you to configure similar products in the future.

What Are The Key Elements To Consider While Selecting Product Configurator Software?

While selecting the product configurator software, the key considerations are:

Integration With Other Tools:

The product configurator software you use should integrate with other applications and tools you use in your organization to get advanced functionality and save your time & efforts.

Mobile Access:

The product configurator software you choose should be mobile-friendly and work on different platforms like iOS, Android, Windows, etc., allowing you to work without any technical glitches.

Accuracy:

An accurate product configuration software would allow you to display the right information about the products to your prospects, win more conversions, and grow your business.

Speed:

The product configuration software you select should allow collaboration within the teams, clients, and stakeholders working on the same project. This helps in suggesting and implementing changes to the products quickly and accomplishing predefined goals with speed.

Flexibility:

The product configurator software you select should be flexible enough to support multiple currencies, pricing models, recurring billing, etc., helping you to create quotes as per the customers' preferences and your working methodologies.

Scalability:

The growth of the business is inevitable. Whether you own a small, medium, or enterprise-level business, the product configuration software should suit your business size. But at the same time, you need to ensure that your product configurator has the ability to scale with your business; otherwise, it would get obsolete quickly, and that would not be worth your investment.

Deployment:

Software deployment includes all of the steps, processes, and activities that are required to make a software system or update available to its intended users. Software deployment is one of the most critical aspects deciding its level of usability. So, you need to ensure that the deployment method offered by the product configurator you select should suit your organization's infrastructure, resources, and technical capabilities.

Price:

The software price should be one of the considerations compared to the product configurator software’s facilities. The price should be according to the specification and the features available with the software.

Functionality:

You need to ensure that the functionality of the product configurator software you select should be user-friendly and suit your business logic.

Latest Trends In Product Configuration Software

Latest trends seen in the product configuration software are:

Augmented Reality (AR):

Product configuration software with augmented reality features enables you to virtually showcase the impact of different options like colors, patterns, and other specifications on the product and how they react with other components in the surrounding environment. This would help in increasing sales and decrease product return rates. ECommerce companies highly use it for selling products like clothing, furniture, etc.

Virtual Reality (VR)

Virtual Reality enabled product configurators allow providing an immersive experience to the customers as if they are really using the products. When there are diversified product configurations required to showcase to the customers located in different geographical locations, VR supports manufacturers and sellers in providing product experiences to the customers and make changes to the product configurations on a real-time basis from any place in the world.

Artificial Intelligence (AI):

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. The term may also be applied to any device that exhibits traits associated with a human mind. Artificial intelligence in product configuration Software helps store and collect all the previous manufactured orders and suggest the relevant modifications when another customer uses the product configurator software. Artificial intelligence helps keep and analyze the customers, preferences, and then present the appropriate transformation.

Cloud Computing:

Product configuration software working on cloud computing concepts can provide users with a high level of product customization freedom. It can integrate with manufacturing resources within a cloud environment enhancing the capabilities of configuring products and interaction between manufacturers and customers.

Machine Learning:

Machine Learning (ML) features in a product configurator allow manufacturers to reduce the time between request and delivery as it helps in building the products with the exact configuration required. It also helps in automating the process of ordering the raw material below a particular threshold and meeting project commitments.

What Are The Drawbacks Of Not Using A Product Configuration Software?

Not using product configurator software has many drawbacks:

Lack of real-time experience:

One of the benefits of the product configurator software is that it gives you a real-time experience of your product. It becomes challenging to convince customers to buy the products without showing them how the product works practically, and so your sales figures cannot improve without a product configurator software.

Increased risk:

When you use the product configurator software, you get to add many customizations and visualize your product. But, by not using the configurator software, you increase the risk of manufacturing the wrong product.

Prone to errors:

Product configurator software also helps calculate the customized product giving you the correct quotation of the product, whereas manual calculations can result in wrong estimations and quotations.

Fewer customization options:

Not using product configurator software means not having the facility to display different variations in the product virtually. This increases the cost of transport and waste of time and money both.

Why Is It Critical For Businesses To Invest In Product Configuration Software?

A configurator software allows your customer to list the exact specifications they are looking for in a product.
A product configuration software helps save time to calculate the cost easily without any human errors. It also minimizes the risk of getting the wrong product as it allows you to check the specifications of the product before the manufacturing process.
It also allows you to capture the knowledge created and used during the product development process and facilitate re-use of the knowledge in developing a new product of a similar product family.
Configurators are great for the complex product as it eases the vendor’s work by allowing the product to be pieced together by the customers themselves.
Product configurator software helps your team collaborate and work, ensuring the correct manufacturing of the product.
Configurator makes for great marketing, as it brings out the creative spirit in people. Customers get artistically invested in “their” product creation. It helps in great marketing because people get connected to their product as they design it.

How Much Can A Product Configuration Software Cost?

There are many product configurator software available with monthly subscription as well as a yearly subscription and one-time subscription plans. Starting with Monthly subscriptions, which range from $79/month to $599/month. For example, Sketchfab is available for $79/month, Expivi is available for $99/month, 3D Product Configurator is available for $103.85/month, inkyROBO is available for $299/month and Synoptive for $599/month.

If you are not comfortable with the monthly subscription charges, you can also go for a yearly subscription offered by CET Designer at $ 1075 / Year.

You can also go for a one-time subscription offered by LiveArt HTML5 Product Designer at $1270, inkXE at $2999, and Sofon Guided Solutions at $ 30,0000.

As all these product configurator software tools differ in terms of features, specifications, and facilities, you cannot consider only the price at the time of selection; you need to check features and specifications to make the right selection.

There are many product configurator software available that includes a free version with limited features. For example, a product configurator tool like Zakeke offers 14 days of a free trial. Within the free trial period, you can check whether the software's features suffice your business needs or not.

Why Refer To Goodfirms’ List Of The Best Product Configurator Software?

To ease your process of selecting the best product configurator, we would like you to go through the Goodfirms’ list of the best configurator software because -

Goodfirms has an experienced and skilled team of researchers that includes only those configurator software built using the latest technologies and features.
Goodfirms follows a professional and systematic approach while curating this list of the best product configurator software.
The users’ legit ratings and reviews for each configurator software mentioned on Goodfirms' list would give you clear visibility over the right software.
As Goodfirms consistently updates the configurator software list with emerging software and technologies, it becomes easy for you to select the trending functionality.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Can Benefit from Product Configurator Software?

A product configurator software allows you to configure your products as per your customers' preferences. Whether you are a manufacturer, retailer, or salesperson, product configurator software can benefit you by showcasing the perfect product, estimating the product's accurate price, and submitting the most competitive quote to your customers.

How Can Product Configurator Software Help in Simplifying the Production of Complex Products?

A product configurator software allows you to set the rules that would ensure only the customization of the products that is feasible. So, the wrong configuration of the products gets eliminated immediately before starting the manufacturing process. So, even if your products are complex, you have the scope to predefine in-depth rules, ensuring the simplification of the manufacturing process.

How Does a Product Configuration Software Work?

A product configuration software includes a library of product components and allows setting up rules required to form a product. A user can select the components, variants, and logical controls that enable the product configurator to present a visual representation of how the product would look like after manufacturing. The user can also change the product's specifications and components during this process, ensuring that the final product is exactly as per the requirements.

Will the Product Configurator Tool Ensure Accuracy in the Product Design?

As the product configurator works based on the predefined logical rules specified by the manufacturer or seller, it would not allow the user to select the specifications that are not feasible or incompatible. It would just eliminate the specifications that are either not possible to implement or are unavailable.

How Can a Product Configuration Software Improve Sales Figures?

The smart technology and algorithms used to build your product configuration software can ensure a smooth workflow and manufacturing process, resulting in customer satisfaction and repetitive sales. Also, many product configurators integrate with online stores allowing the customers to customize their products according to their preferences and thus help in quick conversions.

Which Type of Product Configurator Software Should I Purchase?

The following factors can impact your product configuration software purchase decision -

Features - Every business is different, and so is yours, so just ensure that the product configuration software you purchase should have the features that fulfill your manufacturing and sales requirements. You can try using a freemium product configuration software that allows you to use it for a specific period and decide whether it suits your needs or not.

Deployment - If you are planning to purchase an on-premise product configuration software, you need to ensure that you possess the required infrastructure and technical capabilities. These days cloud-based product configuration solutions are popular because they are easy to use and don't require investing in hiring technical staff and infrastructure.

Size Of Business - If you are looking for product configuration software for a small or medium-sized business, an enterprise-level solution would be a worthless investment for you. You can go for software that suits your business size but, at the same time, it should be scalable enough to grow with your business.

Price - The price of the product configurator software is the most critical factor as cheap is not always better, and expensive is not always the best. You need to check that the product configurator software's price is within your budget and is worth the features and functionality it provides.

What Are the Time-Saving Benefits of Investing in a Product Configuration Software?

If you run a business that manufacturers or sells complex and configurable products, then, there are reaping benefits. Check the below-mentioned benefits -

Allows visualizing products before manufacturing and purchase
Eliminates errors in manufacturing and quoting
Improves customer satisfaction and retention
Reduces operational costs
Increases upsell and cross-selling opportunities
Streamlines sales process

We hope that these FAQs might have answered all your questions relating to product configuration software. Still, if you have any more questions, just get in touch with us.

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