what is product configurator software

What Is Product Configurator Software? (And Why It Matters)

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The Kickflip Team

April 12th, 2023

5 min read time

Product configurator software enables businesses to offer customizable products through an interactive interface—letting customers personalize items in real time by choosing features like color, size, materials, add-ons, and more. Think of it as a bridge between customer preferences and manufacturing processes, improving the shopping experience and increasing customer satisfaction.

👉 Watch Kickflip’s product configurator in action
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSTgPGRM54Q

What Does Product Configurator Software Do?

At its core, product configurator software facilitates the product configuration process, helping brands sell complex products online. Here’s how:

  • Real-time customization: Users see live previews as they make selections, improving the user experience and helping them express their individual needs.

  • Logic and validation: A rules engine ensures only valid combinations can be selected—ensuring a unique configuration aligned with customer specifications.

  • Dynamic and accurate pricing: Prices update automatically based on selected specific features.

  • Streamlined production: Structured outputs reduce the chances of errors for production teams, helping streamline operations and integrate into your enterprise resource planning system.

These are just a few advantages of product configurators that make them essential tools for modern ecommerce.


Key Benefits of Using Product Configurators

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1. Enhanced Customer Experience

Modern buyers crave personalization. Configurators empower them to tailor customized products to their customer preferences, boosting customer engagement and reducing returns. By matching offerings to different needs, brands can better meet customer demands.

2. Increased Conversion Rates

When customers can visualize their final product with a high level of customization, they’re more likely to convert. A visual configurator removes uncertainty from the purchasing process and builds trust.

3. Operational Efficiency

Because the output is validated and structured, production teams waste less time correcting issues. This enhances data management, reduces lead times, and improves the entire design process.

4. Stronger Sales Performance

Your sales reps benefit from faster quoting, more accurate specifications, and better support during the sales process. Structured data means fewer errors and happier customers.

5. Better User Feedback and Iteration

Configurators let businesses collect insights about customer behavior, preferences, and pain points, driving continuous improvement.


Types of Product Configurators

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Visual Configurators

These show a dynamic preview of the configured product as users select available options and product options—perfect for apparel, furniture, and gear.

Parametric Configurators

Used in manufacturing or construction, these configurators rely on numeric inputs for dimensions and specs, aligning with the needs of your engineering team and generating precise bills of material.

Guided Selling Tools

These interactive tools walk users through a decision tree to suggest the best configuration for their specific needs. They’re especially helpful in B2B settings and for service providers with complex offerings.


Who Uses Product Configurator Software?

Product configurator software supports countless use cases across industries:

  • Fashion & Apparel: Custom jackets, shoes, or uniforms

  • Furniture: Modular desks, sofas with additional features

  • Electronics: Build-your-own PCs or phones with various options

  • Sports Equipment: Configurable bikes or snowboards

  • Promotional Products: Branded merchandise with logos or custom design

This diversity demonstrates how configurators meet various customer requirements and align with specific product lines.


What Makes a Great Product Configurator?

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Drawing on research from Baymard and Nielsen Norman Group, successful advanced product configurator tools share:

  • Fast, responsive design across various platforms

  • A streamlined customization process with minimal friction

  • A smart rules engine and set of rules to ensure valid configurations

  • Visual previews of the final product

  • Real-time updates to pricing, availability, and compatibility

📽️ Want to see it in action? Check out Kickflip’s real-time demo


Kickflip: The Product Configurator Software for Modern Ecommerce

Kickflip helps ecommerce brands simplify the configuration process and increase speed to market. Whether you’re on Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, or using APIs, Kickflip supports various features and connects with business systems.

Why brands choose Kickflip:

  • Real-time customization process with instant visuals

  • Logic rules to meet customer specifications and prevent errors

  • Seamless integration into your sales processcustomer relationship management, and data management stack

  • Designed for both sales teams and customers to enhance the purchasing experience

👉 Explore how to build a product configurator with Kickflip


Challenges and Solutions in Implementing Product Configurator Software

Implementing configurator software comes with its own set of complexities. But each challenge is matched with proven solutions:

Aligning with Manufacturing and ERP Systems

Integrating with enterprise resource planning tools and manufacturing processes requires a structured approach. Kickflip enables standardized outputs that connect directly with your production process.

Managing Logic for Complex Products

With hundreds or thousands of variations, managing product logic is tough. Kickflip’s visual rules engine simplifies this by allowing dynamic, logic-based flows without code.

Optimizing for Performance and Mobile

A poor mobile experience damages sales. Kickflip is mobile-first and performance-optimized to deliver a frictionless online shopping experience.

Sales Team Training and Change Management

New tech can create friction. Kickflip provides onboarding, documentation, and expert partners to support sales reps, marketers, and developers.


How Do Product Configurators Impact Different Industries?

Fashion & Apparel

Configurators drive conversions by allowing buyers to choose fabric, fit, and color with ease. They also reduce returns, improve customer satisfaction, and drive brand loyalty.

Furniture & Home Goods

Customers can configure modular products with size and style options. Visual accuracy improves confidence and shortens the purchasing process.

Electronics & Tech

Customers get tailored hardware and accessories without compatibility issues. Configurators ensure accurate pricing and specs.

Promotional & Industrial B2B

Clients can create branded kits at scale with approved options, reducing custom quote overhead and avoiding potential issues.

Kickflip supports all of these—and more—with flexibility, scalability, and a design-led user experience.


One last thing—Is a product configurator software really worth?

Product configurator software is more than a tool. It’s a growth multiplier. It helps companies streamline operations, increase personalization, and reduce post-sale friction. It connects the design process with real-time manufacturing feasibility—making it a strategic must-have for any brand selling configurable goods online.

With Kickflip, you get the full value of an enterprise-grade solution wrapped in a beautiful, accessible package.


Try It Yourself

🎥 Watch how brands use Kickflip to grow with customization

Curious about how a configurator could work for you?

Kickflip empowers your brand to deliver customized products that meet customer demands, reduce errors, and streamline everything from design to production.


Conclusion

Product configurator software is essential for ecommerce brands offering customized products across various product lines. It enhances the customer experience, enables sales reps to better support the sales process, and aligns seamlessly with enterprise resource planningCPQ solutions, and customer relationship management tools.

With the right solution (like Kickflip), you can meet customer specifications, accelerate the production process, and deliver a seamless online shopping experience.

Ready to increase conversions and reduce complexity? Try Kickflip now