Selecting the Right Option for Product Configuration

It’s no secret, personalisation and customisation is key to winning and retaining customers, no matter whether your business is B2C or B2B. Personalisation drives performance and better customer outcomes. Whether it's personalised experiences or a customised product, there is a love for and a need for that personalised touch. From the perfect piece of furniture in a home to a custom-built machine in a factory, the ability to create products tailored to specific needs is in demand. Also, that demand is growing.

The numbers support it too. Companies that grow faster drive 40 percent more of their revenue from embracing personalisation than their slower-growing counterparts. McKinsey research shows that personalised experiences?drive up both customer loyalty and a company’s gross sales. But it’s a tricky needle to thread. Getting it wrong can have lasting consequences for companies. Even so, the modern customer does expect a personalised experience—even if they take it for granted. The same McKinsey research shows that 71 percent of consumers?expect companies to deliver personalised interactions.

That’s where software tools like product configurators can help your business. You’ve probably all experienced one in some way, they’re most prevalent in industries like automotive, when customers are configuring their new car. But not all configurators are built equal. In fact, many product configuration solutions only offer an illusion of choice. To build a valuable and scalable offering for customers, the customisation must offer value beyond novelty, enhancing the functional aspects of the product.

If you’re looking to offer a personalised buying experience to your customers, how do you know which option is right for your business?

In this article, we’ll break down a few different categories of configurators and help you identify which solution can truly help you meet the needs of customers looking for something unique.

Simple Option Configurators: The Illusion of Choice

What they are: This type of configurator allows customers to choose between predefined options—colours, sizes, or a limited range of features. Often seen in industries like automotive, fashion, and electronics, this type of configuration provides a basic level of customisation but typically restricts customers to a limited set of variables.

Example: A car configurator that lets you choose from a limited set of paint colours, interior materials, and wheel designs. It lets customers feel like they're making it their own, but in reality, they're choosing from a pre-set group of components. These types of configurators might boast "millions" of possible combinations, but in reality, only a small percentage (typically less than 20%) of the product is actually configurable.

Where they work and where they fall short: This type of configurator works well for simple products where customisation is superficial, but for customers seeking a truly unique solution, it quickly becomes frustrating. These tools offer limited flexibility, and they’re not designed for industries where customers need to build from scratch.

Visual Configurators: Pre-Rendered Images or 3D with Limited Interaction

What they are: These configurators allow customers to see different product options visually, but they are limited to static pre-rendered images or visuals rather than dynamic configurations. Customers can switch between a few different designs or features, but they don’t have the freedom to modify the product itself.

Example: An online store for customisable shoes that shows pre-rendered images of shoes in different colours. While the customer can see how the product looks in various colourways with a 3D visual, they aren’t able to alter the design of the shoe itself.

Where they work and where they fall short: Visual configurators offer an appealing visual interface, often with photorealistic images, but don’t allow for actual product modification. The customer’s options are confined to a handful of visual pre-sets, which creates a passive, restrictive experience rather than an active, interactive one. This can leave customers feeling as though they aren’t truly customising their product.

Template-Based Configurators: Plug and Play with Little Flexibility

What they are: A template-based configurator allows customers to start with a pre-set template and make small adjustments, such as changing text, colours, or minor features. While they can personalise some elements, the overall structure and functionality are predefined and difficult to change.

Example: A website design tool that offers a selection of templates where users can alter the colour scheme and text but are restricted from making deeper changes to layout or functionality. This type of configurator is great for users looking for quick, ready-made solutions but falls short of delivering a highly customised product.

Where they work and where they fall short: Template-based configurators offer limited personalisation because the core structure is locked in. While these tools may work for less complex needs, they can sometimes frustrate customers who want or expect deeper customisation or require their product to function differently than the template allows.

Guided Configurators: Personalisation with Guardrails

What they are: These tools offer more in-depth customisation but within structured guidelines. Customers can select from a wider variety of components and features but are often limited to pre-approved combinations that have been engineered in advance. This type of configurator is useful in industries like modular furniture and construction where some degree of customisation is needed but must align with established production processes or standards. Often, these configurators link directly to the designs of the products in tools like Onshape by PTC or 欧特克 Fusion, negating the need to create a new set of 2D or 3D assets.

Example: A configurator that allows customers to create modular homes by selecting from a range of floor plans, building materials, and interior finishes. The system ensures that all combinations are viable within certain parameters—helping streamline production but limiting truly bespoke designs.

Where they excel: This is where Infinitive begins. Guided selection tools strike a balance between offering customers choice and maintaining efficiency in production. They allow for a level of customisation that ensures customers feel involved in the creation process, while still aligning with pre-engineered, tested combinations that minimise errors and delays. This approach is particularly valuable for businesses that need to maintain strict quality control and streamline their manufacturing processes, such as modular construction. Customers can feel confident that whatever they build will meet functional requirements and be production-ready, while businesses benefit from smoother workflows and reduced complexity. By offering more flexibility than basic configurators but staying within manageable boundaries, guided selection tools keep projects on track without overwhelming the customer.

Creative Configurators: Building from the Ground Up

What they are: In this category, configurators give customers the freedom to build something from the ground up. They aren’t limited to pre-selected options; instead, they can use building blocks to create a fully unique product. This approach is particularly valuable in industries like modular construction, machinery design, and complex manufacturing, where each product needs to meet specific functional requirements.

Example: A modular housing configurator that lets customers design everything—from floor layouts to material choices and even building performance specifications—without forcing them into pre-set combinations. Instead of merely choosing "options," customers are creating entirely new solutions that fit their specific needs.

Where they excel: This is where Infinitive platform really shines. We offer a true product configurator, one that empowers your customers to build products exactly as they envision. Whether they’re designing a custom piece of modular furniture or configuring a complex machine for industrial use, they aren’t limited by predefined combinations or just changing colours. Instead, they can access building blocks, ensuring that the end product is as unique as their requirements.

The Infinitive Difference: Unlike configurators that present an illusion of choice with superficial changes, Infinitive’s platform lets your customers build real solutions that are tailored to their exact needs, even enabling the specification of custom components where needed. Our platform seamlessly integrates with your existing design, CAD, and production systems, ensuring that every product can be produced exactly as designed—no compromises.

When it comes to product configuration, one size doesn’t fit all. If your customers are simply looking to change a colour or adjust a few features, a basic option selection configurator might be enough. But if they’re looking to build something truly unique, Infinitive’s platform is the only solution that offers full creative freedom without compromising production feasibility.

At Infinitive, we understand that your customers don’t just want to choose—they want to create. And with our platform, they can configure your products, their way.

Find out more by visiting our website or by watching our platform overview video