eCommerce Product Customizer

Product Customizers Explained

A customization platform designed for the future of eCommerce

The Product Customization Opportunity

Product customizers are software applications that let you add product customization features to an eCommerce website.

They vary in terms of functionality and depth so make sure you read this entire page so you can make a wise choice.

The most basic customization apps will simply allow you to add more fields to the product page. Others will feature image overlays, dynamic visual configuration, complex conditional logic, and even 3D.

Typically, product customization is not possible without significant custom code changes on the website. But, this is resource-intensive so customizer apps are chosen to make this whole process much easier.

Types of Product Customizers

There are three broad types of product customizers you should be aware of:

Product Options Apps

2D Product Customizers

3D Product Customizers

Product Options Apps

These applications allow you to choose to add multiple product options which relate to a base product. Choosing a preferred size or color, or adding a custom note via a custom text field for example.

Sometimes, these custom product designers will go one step further and enable you to update the featured product image with a picture that corresponds to the selection you’ve just made.

This is called conditional logic, but these are not true dynamic customization apps. Instead, they are an extension of a product variant feature.

2D Product Customizers

2D product customizers are the next step up and allow you to layer visuals on top of a background product image.

For example, if the customer enters their name into a text field, this text will be shown via an overlay function, on top of the product in the background.

2D customizers can be sufficient when the product is a simple or flat product and the need for 3D is less critical. For example, T-shirts, posters, books, the monogramming of wallets, etc.

The main drawback with these apps is the layer that is being superimposed on top, doesn’t always blend into the background image very well. It can look ‘pasted’ or unrealistic – because it is.

3D Product Customizers

3D product customizers are the most advanced and highest quality option.

Sometimes these apps are called ‘visual configuration software’ or ‘product configurators‘. What this means is that you can customize the product, in real-time and see the product change before your eyes in 3D.

But, not all 3D customization apps are created equal. The way the different layers of customization blend into the base 3D model varies considerably. Also, they shouldn’t be confused with 360 degrees ‘3D’ apps which simply stitch together a bunch of 2D images together which when rotated will appear jerky.

Featured here is an example of our 3D product customizer app in use on the Hand Dyed Shoe Company’s website who used our official Shopify App.

Downstream Fulfillment

Featuring customization on the front-end of the website is much easier than integrating these order requests downstream.

For small retailers who receive infrequent purchases, a manual process (while time intensive) can do the job.

However, it only takes a few sales per day or more, before things can get complicated very quickly. Manufacturing and the broader fulfillment process get problematic.

This is where the power of our technology shines because it’s built for mass customization.

This means that we can integrate the order requirements into your manufacturing or fulfillment operations so everything happens seamlessly without error.

Very few customizer apps will have these critical features which are needed by larger volume retailers like our client Coca Cola.