Which model would you like? In what configuration? And what colour? Product configurators are playing an increasingly important role in the furniture shopping journey, both online and in-store, and in June's issue Furniture News quizzes the people making personalised purchases a reality …
Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) continues to gain ground in furniture marketing, offering flexible, interactive alternatives to traditional photography that has the potential to evolve in line with the changing ecommerce landscape.
Beyond straightforward imagery, one of the principal applications of CGI in ecommerce is the product configurator, a visual tool that enables users to customise a product’s size, materials, features and colours to their taste (a digital application that lets shoppers pick and choose what their chosen piece of furniture will look like).
With retail footprint coming at a premium, configurators provide an opportunity to showcase an infinitely larger range of SKUs than could ever be presented physically on the shop floor. Rather than being limited to the physical selection on display, shoppers are able to browse the many variants offered by manufacturers, and select what is right for their needs, without compromise – which, in turn, reduce the chances of that purchase being returned.
As technology becomes more integral to the shopping experience, configurators are becoming more powerful and intuitive. With early adopters of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) finding ways to take the configuration experience beyond the touchscreen and into people’s homes, it seems likely that configurators will only become even more commonplace in furniture shopping.
In this month’s CGI Marketing feature, Furniture News asks several of the sector’s specialists to outline the benefits of product configurators, the technology’s likely directions, and examples of their own solutions in use.
Thanks to: Neil Buckley-Jensen, founder, Chilli Pepper Designs; Jostein Pedersen, VP of product, Cylindo; David Colijn, CMO, iONE360; Rob Walker, MD, Orbital Vision; and Adam Briscoe, MD, Envision CGI.
Read the feature here.
Pictured: Orbital Vision developed this product configurator for Wood Bros
