Businesses are moving away from traditional production processes and towards sustainability as a culture, introducing on-demand manufacturing for example, that provide exciting consumer experiences.
This makes sense on many levels as sustainable processes save the business time and money, they are attractive to customers who seek out companies following green initiatives, and they create an opportunity to generate more brand awareness and brand affinity.
When businesses present consumers with options to customize and/or personalize products in e-commerce, they feel engaged.
More than 3/4of consumers have chosen, recommended, or paid more for a brand that provided a personalized experience. That’s the value that 3D product configuration and Augmented Reality (AR) bring to e-commerce.
Visualization, Customization, and Personalization are Key
Consumers increasingly expect higher engagement from the brands with which they interact. Research has found that 83% of consumers emotionally respond to strong visuals and movement in products such as those in 3D renderings where products can be virtually manipulated and rotated.
Brands have a tremendous opportunity to interact with their consumers using visualization, customization and personalization tools on their ecommerce site. By offering products with seemingly endless feature options, such as material, color, texture and other attributes, the consumer is put in the driver’s seat and builds an item that’s unique to their style and their needs.
As the consumer is configuring their items, they can see them from every angle with 3D technology, gaining a very clear idea of the product they’re about to purchase. A personalization option completely distinguishes items such as clothing or shoes from any other with unique stitching, initials, images or words.
Brands can use Augmented Reality directly from a browser or mobile app making it possible for consumers to actually place the product on a flat surface in front of them and see the item in extreme detail, from their own home. With technologies making it easier to shop online, 25% of consumers believe they will shop in physical stores and malls less than they did previously. In this way an engaging e-commerce platform becomes a necessity. One positive side effect of this change is that consumers and brands are saving energy and money by reducing returns, lowering the number of trips to the store and increasing product use and satisfaction.
3D and AR are Sustainable and Cost-Efficient Solutions
Sustainable solutions are becoming increasingly urgent in every industry, not only to reduce waste but also to become more scalable. For instance, USD $230 billion in apparel and footwear is unsold, with no place to go. That means there’s endless amounts of warehouses storing products that are just shelved, waiting to be pushed into the market at a high expense, and with discounted prices. Another major issue that brands face are returns. In fact, 35% of apparel and footwear is returned each year; that’s three times more than in general e-commerce; that’s billions of dollars worth of unwanted products.
Using a 3D configurator and AR technology to front end an on-demand manufacturing process plays a major role towards sustainability. Orders come through, are paid in full, and are produced specifically for that consumer. With a direct-to- consumer process, the item is never shelved, and rarely returned.
Combined with a CPQ and an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, every order via a 3D product configurator generates a complete Bill of Materials that feeds into the manufacturing process.
A list is created of all the raw materials, parts and quantities needed to produce the item that goes directly into the company’s ERP system, reducing errors in the order processing. It’s the sustainable solution any business needs; you only produce what’s ordered, using up raw material smartly. Using a 3D configurator enables a dynamic supply chain solution that is fast, cost-efficient and sustainable creating wins all around as brands reduce waste, reduce costs, increase satisfaction, and create sustainable processes that consumers can get behind.
If you are wondering what you can do with Zakeke, check out our DEMO STORE.
Supported Platforms:
Stay up to date and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram
