Over the years, modern businesses have used virtual experiences to create interactive digital environments. These virtual environments replicate real-world scenarios to provide customers with an immersive, engaging experience. In fact, the global virtual reality market is expected to reach $26.9 billion by 2027.
As advanced technologies continue to evolve, businesses that embrace virtual experiences are better positioned to succeed in a rapidly changing digital landscape. These virtual experiences, when combined with technologies such as 3D product demos and 3D configurators, can be great marketing tools. They help businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors, reach new audiences and enhance customer engagement.
What Are 3D Product Demos and Configurators?
Businesses can create opportunities for growth by adopting virtual experiences that fit their needs. Two virtual tools that help businesses achieve this possibility are 3D product demos and product configurators. Businesses can leverage these product demos or explorers as well as configurators to create unique and compelling experiences that can be accessed from anywhere at any time.
3D product explorers are digital tools that use 3D modelling and rendering techniques to showcase and demonstrate a product's features and capabilities in a virtual environment. These demos allow customers to interact with a product and view the product from different angles, explore its features and functions and understand how it works in a more intuitive way.
While product demos are a great way to ensure the customers know the products in-depth, it is 3D product configurators that help them customise the products as per their needs. This tool creates realistic representations of products, offering the opportunities to explore and select different options, such as colours, materials, sizes and features. This enables the customer to create a personalised product version that meets their specific needs and preferences.
When combined together or used individually, product demos and 3D product configurators can prove to be real game-changers for businesses and customers alike.
How Do 3D Product Demos and Configurators Help B2B Businesses?
According to a study, 40% higher conversions are seen with products that use 3D product demonstration and configuration. This is because the virtual experience tools provide customers with more in-depth information about complex products and allow them to customise them as per their requirements. This encourages customers to be more confident in their purchase decisions.
Here are some ways 3D product explorers and 3D product configurators can be helpful to B2B businesses:
Complex Product Explanation
3D product demonstration and configuration help simplify complex products by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable components. This enables customers to explore each feature and functionality in detail, gaining a deeper understanding of how the product works. For instance, a 3D product explorer can show customers the different parts of a machine and how they fit together. By zooming in and rotating the model, customers can get a better sense of the machine's size, shape and features. They can also gain insight into how the different parts interact with each other, which can help them understand how the machine works and what its capabilities are.
Streamlined Sales Process
The virtual experience tools provide an accurate representation of the product, which helps customers better understand what they're buying. This leads to fewer questions, doubts and uncertainties on the customer's end, which can speed up the sales process. With 3D product demonstration and configuration, customers can see the product's features and functionalities in real-time and in detail, reducing the need for back-and-forth communication between the customer and the sales team. This helps fill the communication gap between the customer and the business.
Differentiation From Competitors
3D product configurators offer a wide range of options and configurations that businesses can leverage to provide a level of customisation that is difficult for competitors to match. This helps businesses differentiate themselves from competitors that offer standardised products, making them stand out in the market. On the other hand, 3D demos provide highly detailed and realistic visuals of products. This helps businesses showcase their products in a more compelling way and leave a lasting impression on the customers.
Customisation
Using 3D product demonstration and configuration, businesses can reduce the time it takes to deliver a customised product. The tools allow customers to personalise their products in a self-service environment, reducing the need for manual intervention from the business. This effectively speeds up the time it takes to fulfil an order, helping businesses meet their customers' needs more quickly and efficiently. In addition, these virtual experience tools provide real-time visualisations, allowing customers to see the impact of their choices on the product in real time. This helps customers make more informed decisions about their customisation options and increase their confidence in their purchase decision.
3D product configurators and demos cut down the clutter of traditional B2B marketing by adding efficiency into multiple stages of the buying process.
How Do 3D Product Demos and Configurators Help B2C Businesses?
3D product configurators and demos can be powerful tools for B2C businesses looking to enhance the customer experience and gain a competitive advantage. Here are some ways these virtual tools can help B2C businesses.
Increased Customer Confidence
Having an in-depth understanding of a product's features and capabilities is crucial in ensuring that customers are well-informed and confident in their purchase decisions. When customers have a comprehensive understanding of the product they are buying, they are more likely to trust the brand and remain loyal customers. Using 360 explosive views, businesses can help customers visualise how the product will fit into their lives and determine whether it meets their needs. By utilising this tool, businesses can increase customer satisfaction and retention. Additionally, by providing customers with a positive purchasing experience, businesses can improve their reputation and attract new customers through positive word-of-mouth.
Fewer Returns
While online descriptions and 2D images can give customers an idea of what to expect from a product, they often fall short of providing a comprehensive understanding of its features and benefits. Study shows that over 64.2% of returns from e-commerce platforms happen because the product brought by the customer does not match the description. To avoid this, businesses should provide an enhanced product explanation that goes beyond the limitations of 2D images and text-based descriptions. Leveraging 3D technology allows customers to view and interact with the product from all angles. 3D product demos and configurators can also communicate additional information such as the product's dimensions, texture and material properties, which can be difficult to convey through traditional 2D images. By providing a more detailed and realistic representation of the product, businesses can reduce the risk of returns due to misaligned expectations.
Personalised Shopping Experience
3D product demonstration and configuration allow customers to customise their products as per their requirements and preferences. For instance, if a customer is purchasing a piece of furniture, a 3D product configurator will let the customer select different colours, materials and sizes. This level of personalisation helps build a stronger connection between the customer and the product. In fact, the configurator provides a more efficient and convenient shopping experience. Rather than searching through different product pages to find the exact specifications they are looking for, customers can simply customise the product.
Immersive Experience
Using 3D product demonstration and configuration allows customers to interact with a product in a virtual space. This offers enhanced engagement compared to traditional 2D images or videos. One of the important aspects of 3D product explorers and configurators is the level of realism they can achieve. By creating 3D models that accurately represent a product, businesses can provide customers with a virtual experience that closely mirrors the real world. This can help customers to better understand the product, its features and its capabilities and also builds trust in the brand.
Benefits of 3D Product Demonstration and Configuration
3D product configurators and demos offer a wide range of benefits to both B2B and B2C businesses.
Increased Engagement
When it comes to online shopping, keeping customers engaged and interested is a critical component of driving sales and reducing bounce rates. In fact, a study shows that the average bounce rate of an e-commerce website is around 50%. This means that half of the visitors to a website leave without interacting with any other pages. One of the ways to ensure that this doesn’t happen, businesses are leveraging 3D product demos and configurators to improve customer experience. By allowing customers to view and manipulate 3D models of products, businesses can capture the attention of customers and keep them engaged for longer periods of time, ultimately reducing bounce rates and increasing the likelihood of a successful purchase.
Improved Customer Satisfaction
Providing customers with a 3D visualisation of the product and an opportunity to customise it as per their requirements will reduce unnecessary back-and-forth interactions. The in-depth understanding of the product, along with an interactive and personalised shopping experience, empowers customers to make informed decisions and feel more connected to their purchases.
Cost-Effective Marketing Tool
3D product demonstration and configuration can be reused and repurposed for multiple marketing campaigns or product releases, which helps maximise their value over time. They are a cost-effective marketing tool that enables companies to showcase their products in an engaging and interactive way while reducing production, travel and advertising costs.
Enhanced Brand Image
3D product demonstration and configuration can help enhance a brand's image by providing an innovative way to showcase products. At the same time, it positions the brand as forward-thinking and customer-focused.
All-in-all, these virtual experience tools can provide businesses with a competitive advantage by improving the customer experience, increasing sales and reducing costs.
Examples of Successful 3D Product Demos and Configurators
There are many examples of successful 3D product demonstration and configuration across various industries. Here are a few examples:
Nike
The footwear giant’s online custom shoe builder, Nike By You, allows customers to design and personalise their own sneakers in 3D. Customers can select different colours, patterns and materials to create a one-of-a-kind shoe.
BMW
BMW's online configurator allows customers to design and customise their own BMW car in 3D. Customers can select the model, colour, features and accessories to create a personalised vehicle. The 3D product demo shows customers a realistic view of the car, including the interior and exterior.
Apple
Apple's 3D product demo of the Apple Watch allows customers to see the watch from all angles and interact with its features, such as changing the watch face, trying on different bands and testing out apps. This demo provides a detailed look at the watch and its capabilities.
Grundfos
Grundfos’ 3D product demo ensured that its customers could view the product from all angles in a 3D format at any time and from anywhere. By using the tool, the pump manufacturing company ensured that their customers could not only interact with the products but also get a comprehensive understanding of their features.
These are just a few examples of successful 3D product demonstrations and configurations that have helped businesses enhance the customer experience, increase engagement and improve decision-making.
Conclusion
As technology continues to advance, the future of 3D product demos and configurators appears highly promising. Emerging trends, such as augmented and virtual reality, increased realism, artificial intelligence and mobile optimisation, are poised to revolutionise customer experiences. These advancements will enable businesses to provide highly immersive and engaging 3D product explorers that can offer customers personalised recommendations based on their preferences and behaviours. Investing in cutting-edge 3D product configurators and demos could give businesses a competitive advantage and increase customer engagement and loyalty.
Looking for innovative ways to boost customer engagement? Leverage the potential of Exhibit 360 to showcase your products in an engaging and immersive way. Contact us to learn more about how these tools can transform your marketing game.
