Integration configurator in eCommerce Sites.
We are very often confronted with this question in our professional practice. Basically, it is a rather simple step that cause relatively few problems in practice.
What are the technical options for embedding the 3D configurator?
In practice, we make use of the following options:
- Iframe
- JavaScript
- New Tab
Iframe.
Using an iframe, you can easily embed your configurator into your website. You will then have a defined area on your website where you can see the configurator.
JavaScript.
With this programming language you can create interactive elements on a web page. The configurator is inserted after the page has been opened using JavaScript.
New tab.
With this option, the user clicks on a button and a new tab opens containing the configurator. Of course you have the possibility to design this new page according to your own needs.
What influence does the shop system have?
In practice, we have integrated configurators inro numerous different shop systems to date. Depending in the shop system used, we sometimes proceed differently. With WooCommerce for WordPress, for example, integration take place via plugin, while with shopware or Magento the configurator is integrated via a snippet on the product page.
We help you with all shop systems competently.
If you are using an exotic and less known shop system, we will provide you with the appropriate interface. For example, we can make the product data available to you via a CSV import.
Once the customer has successfully completed his configuration, he lands directly in the shopping cart of his shop.
The integration of the configurator into a normal website is similar. Here we proceed similarly depending on the CMS and fall back on the measures described above.
Administration of product data.
Since the customer designs his own product with the configurator, it make sense to connect his merchandise management system with the configurator. In this way it is prevented that the stock is considered incorrectly — which prevents e.g. that configurations with non-existing product parts are created. This is a big advantage. The configurator obtains all required information directly from the merchandise management system.
If you do not want an interface to the internal CMS, you can still maintain your product data very well yourself. In the backend of the configurator you can maintain prices, article numbers, price descriptions and much more according to your own needs.
These settings can be made very easily, so that you will not need our help.
Mostly we have already developed similar interfaces for previous customers in practice, so that only slight adjustments have to be made.
How do the processes for the purchase processing run via the interface?
After the customer has configured his desired product, he now wants to either buy the product or save it for later. In practice, there are several ways to complete the configuration process:
- Saving the configuration with Shortlink,
- Storing the configuration in Shop,
- Create a PDF,
- Automatic transfer of the order to the merchandise management system,
- In the first case, the customer saves his configuration directly in the online shop via Shortlink.
The second variant is similar — here, too, the customer can access his created configuration at a later point in time.
In the third variant, a PDF is generated for the customer. The customer has the option of going to the nest shop with the configuration in digital or printed form.
In the latter case, data is automatically transferred to the merchandise management system so that the entire purchasing process is successfully completed.
That should suffice at this point. Of course, new questions arise again and again in practice which cannot be anticipated in advance. If you still have any questions, please feel free to contact us. We are at your side with words and deeds.
