Making a complex product world manageable for the customer - that's what a product configurator, also known as a product advisor, is for. At least that's how it should be. Because if you don't proceed with a good concept, the beautiful product configurator can confuse rather than help. In the worst case scenario, the company loses leads. That's why we pay super close attention to the user experience when we develop a product configurator for our customers - always with the aim of increasing the conversion rate, i.e. turning leads into customers.
Using technical product configurators sensibly
Product configurators on websites or in apps can be useful when products are in particular need of explanation. This is often not about configuring a specific product, but about product selection. This means that users answer a series of questions and the product advisor/product configurator recommends the right product. Product configurators are an unbeatable support for sales, especially for complex B2B products or highly specialized technical applications.
But be careful: if the product configurator itself is too complicated, it can backfire. Potential customers may even leave in frustration, even though they would have simply contacted the sales department directly without the product configurator.
Here are a few tips from our experience:
- All questions and steps must be self-explanatory for the target group. Otherwise it is of little help and frustrates potential customers.
- Don't put your target group through a marathon. If it takes too much time to complete the configurator, this will lead to a negative attitude on the part of users - and make it less likely that they will complete the purchase.
- If in doubt, include an option to exit the configurator earlier and clarify the rest directly with the sales department.
- Speaking of sales: Be sure to involve those who have constant customer contact (usually the sales department) in the design of the product configurator.
- If possible, carry out sample tests with the target group. The individual steps and the conversion rate can often be further improved as a result.
Of course, all of this must fit the respective use case. It is also very important to have not only developers, but also usability and design experts on board.
Product consultant for BMG Labtech
For example, we implemented a product consultant for BMG Labtech, where the main focus was on the conception phase. The highly specialized laboratory machines require so much explanation, even for the technically experienced target group, that the sales department previously had a great deal of effort in personal discussions.
With our complex products, the sales process was also complicated. Thanks to the new product configurator, the processes are now much simpler and faster. Above all, we now generate a large number of additional qualified leads.
Markus Hartmann, Online Marketing
The user-friendly product configurator (we call it "product advisor") has significantly reduced this effort: Sales receives a dossier in advance and can therefore move very quickly to the quotation preparation stage. An advantage for both sides. Perhaps even more importantly, the product configurator resulted in a considerable increase in qualified leads for BMG Labtech!
If you pay close attention to usability and target groups and invest the necessary time in the design, a product configurator can lead to a real boost in business and at the same time digitize processes and make them more efficient.
