How to make it easier for the customer to personalize services and goods?
There is no doubt that customers value the ability to compose a product or service to suit their individual needs. Many companies have already followed this need and increased their sales. However, there are some that, despite investing in a product configurator, do not see increased interest in their offerings. The reason may be a poorly composed selection system.
Let's imagine that we have just ordered a take-out pizza. We look for such a pizzeria that is ready to prepare the dish according to the customer's individual expectations. We launch the configurator that has been posted on its website and begin the selection process. We can choose the size of the pizza, and we can also specify what will be on it. We choose mushrooms, onions and corn, because this is the combination that suits us best.
But what is....? All pizzas by definition have cheese in them, and we are lactose intolerant. We look for some box where we can uncheck the presence of cheese - there is none. Once again, we go through the whole process from the beginning assuming that maybe we inadvertently selected a pizza with cheese ourselves - this is also a false trail. Probably the very assumption of the creators of the configurator was also false, because apparently a pizza without cheese is no longer a pizza according to them, and they did not include one in their offer.
Customer needs survey
This is, of course, a trivial example, but it illustrates well that often when we set about implementing a product configurator in a company, we make the wrong assumptions without consulting the market, i.e. those who will ultimately use the solution.
We have already written about how to well identify the needs of the target group in the article "How to prepare a company to implement a product configurator?". Now we would like to point out that already at this stage - researching market needs - we should also take care to recognize what can make our product configurator a friendly and effective tool, whether in the hands of the seller or the customer himself.
What is to be personalized?
Let's examine which elements of a product or service are key to individualizing it. It may turn out that for customers such elements are important, which from our perspective do not matter, but whose individualization will strongly distinguish us from the competition. Such a "trifle" may be, for example, the type of buttons the customer can choose for himself for the shirt he orders.
On the other hand - through research, we will sometimes discover that our effort to ensure the configurability of other elements is completely unnecessary. For us, they are important, but in research we will find that customers do not feel the need to select them at all. We can thus avoid not only unnecessary expenses, but also an overly complicated selection process.
Often, when we set about implementing a product configurator in a company, we make the wrong assumptions - without consulting the market, that is, those who will ultimately use the solution.
In what order should personalization take place?
Customers have their own logic for dealing with the selection of a solution. It's good to know it and guide them through the configuration process according to it. When looking for a customized sofa, will they start with the type (straight or corner), the purpose (folding or unfolding), or perhaps the style (modern or rustic)?
It's a good idea to start with priorities, and leave the less important little things for last. If the customer selects the variant, size and color of the preferred sofa, and at the end realizes that the choice of the type of legs is limited - it is unlikely to affect his decision. If, on the other hand, he goes through the choices of numerous small details - legs, buttons, upholstery for the back of the sofa, etc. - and in the end it turns out that this variant of the sofa does not have a bedding container, which was an important element for him - he will be annoyed that he unnecessarily wasted so much time and energy on configuring a product that he will not buy anyway.
What terminology to use?
When studying customer preferences, let's also ensure that we understand the language they use. In the configurator, it is to be understandable and unambiguous to the target group. Are plush, velour and velvet the same type of upholstery, or are they three completely different fabrics? What does the customer himself know about it?
Which measuring system should we use? Should we express lengths in centimeters or inches or maybe both? Do the industry's customers use neologisms or colloquial words that we should consider? It is often better to use an incorrect but understandable word than to look for a pure linguistic equivalent.
This is especially important in such a case, when the configurator will be used by the buyer himself, without support from the seller, who could help him with any doubts.
What should the visualization look like?
Product configurators are increasingly equipped with a 3D visualization element. Before investing in this costly element, let's check with customers about what they would like to see. What perspectives and shots are important to them? Which details should be available in close-up? Do they want to view the product against a neutral background or in a setting that simulates the intended use (for example, a couch in the living room or a shirt on a person)?
Any sales support tool, be it a product catalog or product configurator, should be easy and effective to use. For this to happen, intensive cooperation between the developer and the user is needed.
Feel free to download the guide "How to benefit from the product configurator".
