For B2B manufacturers, subpar configuration offerings directly translate to subpar shopping experiences, which fail to capture the attention and business of consumerized buyers.
Specifically, you’ll want to keep an eye out for the four configuration features all B2B manufacturers should be using to elevate eCommerce:
- Real-time pricing and quoting
- 3D product visualizers
- Concurrent BOM generation
- Intelligent product recommendation
Real-time Pricing and Quoting
The value of transparency cannot be overstated when it comes to modern buyer preferences. In an age where just about anything can be accessed through the right internet search, withholding pricing information and relying on manual, lengthy quoting processes just doesn’t make sense.
Leveraging a configurator that offers real-time pricing and quoting means you can provide immediate and accurate product information, increasing the amount of trust your buyer carries through the experience.
Being able to engage with prices upfront allows for more efficient and streamlined communication between buyers and sellers, even in the absence of a sales representative. Buyers can better understand how closely your catalog aligns with their budget, and they can pursue the right-price option from the get go. You don’t have to worry about sticker shock leading to abandoned carts or canceled orders in the final stages of the sale.
In the event you need to adjust a product’s base price, or alter the value of add-on and modification options, your configurator should be able to support quick and easy changes. If you need to fully pull and re-list a product to adjust the price, you’re losing out on possible sales and straining maintenance resources with each instance.
With automated quote generation, you’re also liable to see an increase to average order volume thanks to overall buying simplification and quicker time-to-order. The less energy your buyer has to spend on back-and-forth manual quote processes led by sales teams, the more energy they have to explore your available products.
3D Product Visualizers
Digital storefronts provide a new level of access to shoppable solutions, but do so at the expense of offering buyers the chance to see, feel, and otherwise engage with their selection in a tangible manner. 3D product visualization, like that supported by our cutting-edge partner, Threekit, helps imbue elements of an in-person shop to the world of eCommerce.
At its core, 3D product visualization increases customer confidence in purchasing by providing a detailed and accurate representation of given products. Shoppers can view their selection from multiple angles, better understand the scale of the item as it relates to physical space, and see how selected modifications would look.
These renderings also reduce the need for prototypes or samples to be produced and sent to prospective buyers, reducing waste on the manufacturing side and saving time on the buying side.
Concurrent BOM Generation
Bills of material, or BOMs, underscore the back-end process of submitting, producing, and fulfilling buyer orders. Legacy configuration systems struggle to generate more than one type of BOM at a time, though there can be multiple involved in the processing of a single order; a manufacturing BOM to guide physical production, a sales BOM to reflect pricing and line items as a receipt, and so on.
Working with a configurator that can support concurrent BOM generation increases efficiency by eliminating the need to manually update multiple documents or spreadsheets, decreasing the risk of human error in the process.
Intelligent Product Recommendation
Your buyers shouldn’t have to be experts on your product catalog to successfully find their perfect-fit solution. Instead of putting them in a position where they need to navigate outdated filters, confusing descriptions, and unclear relationships, give them the lift of intelligent product recommendation.
Intelligent product recommendation enhances the customer experience by providing personalized recommendations based on their purchase history or preferences, keeping just-right fit products in a shopper’s line of sight.
This process also improves inventory management by highlighting products that may be overstocked or underutilized, but still an appropriate fit for the buyer’s needs they otherwise wouldn’t have considered.
Before a shopper checks out, intelligent recommendation can suggest add-on items, accessories, warranties, promotions, or bundles to increase both average order value and total customer satisfaction.
Use Case Scenario
A B2B manufacturer specializing in customizable medical equipment is struggling to meet eCommerce customer demands due to long lead times and high costs associated with manual product configuration and quote generation.
To start turning sales trends around, our manufacturer decides to add best of breed tools to streamline ecommerce and facilitate the four points.
The simplified configuration process allows customers to easily select the specific features and components they require for their equipment, while the 3D product visualizer provides an interactive preview of the finished product, improving the customer's understanding of the final result.
Thanks to real-time pricing and quoting, the manufacturer is able to provide customers with accurate quotes and pricing information instantly, rather than requiring a manual process that can take weeks to complete. This improved speed and transparency leads to increased customer satisfaction and a higher likelihood of converting sales.
Additionally, the concurrent BOM generation feature allows for multiple team members to collaborate on the configuration process in real-time, reducing the potential for errors and streamlining the overall process.
As a result of these features, our manufacturer significantly reduces lead times, improves customer satisfaction, and increases sales revenue. With the ability to quickly and accurately generate quotes, the manufacturer is also able to win more business and increase market share.
By streamlining the configuration process, manufacturers can reduce errors, increase efficiency, and ultimately provide a better experience for their customers.
In today's highly competitive market, it's essential to stay ahead of the curve and offer the latest in technological innovation.
By embracing real-time pricing and quoting, 3D product visualizers, concurrent BOM generation and intelligent product recommendation as part of a larger configuration landscape, B2B manufacturers can not only meet but exceed customer expectations, leading to increased, sustainable sales and a stronger reputation in the industry.
To learn more about what modern B2B manufacturers are experiencing in the face of dynamic market shifts and consumerized buyer preferences, head to the Logik.io Resource Library and download your free copy of The State of B2B eCommerce for Manufacturers, a special report based on data gathered from 250 leaders in the industry.
