If you sell products with multiple variations or customization options—like furniture available in different fabrics or monogrammable accessories—you need a way for customers to choose between different options. In-person, customers could view product samples or work with a sales rep to decide their specifications. Online, customers receive a similar experience through a website’s product configurator or product customizer.
Steve Bauer, senior vice president of ecommerce and digital at furniture company Arhaus, sees the brand’s 3D sectional configurator as a way to facilitate a purchase decision.
“Furniture is the third largest purchase you’re gonna make in your life [after a house and a car],” Steve says in an interview with Shopify. “We really want to instill that confidence.”
Arhaus worked with Shopify Partner agency Domaine to create a custom product configurator, but there are also built-in Shopify features and Shopify product configurator apps retailers can use out of the box to add product customization to online stores.
In this guide, you’ll learn which features to look for in a product configurator and see examples of product configurators in action.
What is a product configurator?
A product configurator is a software tool customers use to view their product customizations in real time during the online ordering process. Product configurators display product options, calculate the final price, and generate a visual representation of the finished product. This lets customers experiment with their own designs and purchase personalized products.
Configuration vs. customization vs. personalization
When exploring product configurators, you may see the terms configuration, customization, and personalization used interchangeably. Technically, configuration refers to choosing from predefined options, while customization means a product is made to order.
Both configured and customized products may be considered personalized, or tailored to an individual’s specific needs. But personalization is also a marketing strategy.
With marketing personalization, businesses use customer data to tailor their marketing efforts to individuals or groups. (Think of personalized emails, product recommendations, and retargeting ads.)
Shopify’s built-in product configuration capabilities
Shopify comes with several built-in tools that support product configuration. Here’s an overview of each.
Variants
Variants are a way of showcasing products that have more than one option, such as size or color. Each combination of option values for a product can be a variant of a product.
For example, the short sleeve trash tee from Everybody.World comes in five sizes and 11 colors, or 55 variants. A size 2XL short sleeve trash tee in washed navy represents a single variant.
With Shopify, you can have up to three options (e.g., size or color) and 2,048 variants per product. The high variant limit is one reason furniture company Arhaus chose to migrate to Shopify. “[It] gives us a lot more flexibility in trying to put all these different combinations together,” says Steve.
Shopify Bundles
Shopify Bundles is a free app available from the Shopify App Store. The app supports dynamic bundles, which means shoppers can configure a custom bundle based on parameters you set.
Here’s an example of a product bundle from the makeup brand Glossier. The Glossier Brow Duo comes with a pomade wand and a brow pencil, and shoppers can choose a color for each.
“Bundles allow merchants to group products together for better product curation,” says Gemma Curl, a senior product manager at Shopify. “This helps increase the average order value (AOV) to grow revenue.”
Store owners use bundles to offer customers related products, often at a discount. For example, the Glossier Brow Duo is $39, which represents a $7 discount over purchasing the products separately.
Product bundles can also help you sell items that aren’t selling as fast as others. “It can serve as a way to move products that are sitting—by bundling them with other more popular products,” Gemma says.
Gemma recommends starting with the free Shopify Bundles app and then exploring third-party product bundle apps (there are more than 200 in the Shopify App Store) if you have more complex bundling needs.
Cart Transform API
Cart Transform is an API (application programming interface) that lets you change how products look in shoppers’ carts. “Many merchants use Cart Transform functions to enable mix-and-match bundles,” Gemma says. When customers choose a certain combination of items, Cart Transform recognizes the product group as a bundle.
Companies might give customers a discount when they add that combination of items to their cart. “For example, when customers add fries, nuggets, and a drink, a Cart Transform could bundle those products together so that they show up as a Happy Meal in the cart,” Gemma says.
Shopify Combined Listings
If you have Shopify Plus, you can install the free Shopify Combined Listings app from the Shopify App Store to create a single listing for separate products or products that come in multiple variations.
Each product variation can have its own title, descriptive URL, and image carousel. “This more visual and compelling customer experience helps with customer discovery,” says Gemma. Think of it as each variation having their own tiny microsite.
Flower company Urban Stems uses Combined Listings for its Antique Rose bouquet, which comes in two sizes.
“The benefit is offering a unique gallery per variant for a better customer presentation,” Gemma says. Urban Stems’ single and double sizes each have their own product images, which gives shoppers a better idea of their size.
Key features of a product configurator app
- User-friendly interface
- Price calculation features
- Product visualization tools
- Integrations
- Design validation
If you sell personalized products or want to offer product configuration features beyond Shopify’s built-in capabilities, you may need to download a third-party app. Here’s what to look for as you evaluate options:
User-friendly interface
A product configurator with an intuitive user interface (UI) simplifies the product configuration process for customers.
Look for a tool that outlines customization options, makes it easy to apply or change selections, and helps customers produce high-quality final designs.
For particularly complex products, consider tools that walk customers through the product customization process in steps, then filter available options based on their compatibility with a customer’s previous selections.
Price calculation features
Product configuration tools calculate the total product price based on a customer’s choices. Choose between dynamic and static options: Dynamic pricing tools update item cost in real time, and static ones provide a quote as the final step of the customization process.
Consider a tool that updates pricing in real time if you want customers to see how their choices affect the final product price. For example, a custom armchair might jump from $800 to $1,400 when a customer selects leather upholstery but drop to $1,100 when they pass on the included ottoman.
On the other hand, static pricing conceals the relationship between individual selections and total price, and retailers often use it for more complex pricing structures. Withholding a quote until the end of the process can help businesses avoid confusing consumers with counterintuitive price fluctuations.
Read: 10 Pricing Strategies to Maximize Your Profit
Product visualization tools
Some product configurators help customers envision what they’re purchasing. Your needs will depend on what you sell:
-
A service-based business might use icons to represent selected add-ons.
-
An ecommerce clothing brand might show different product photographs for different color variants.
-
A high-end jeweler might invest in 3D product models and augmented reality (AR) views.
Integrations
Select product configurator software that integrates with your online store and ecommerce checkout system. To ensure compatibility with your Shopify store, use built-in configuration features, choose a product configurator from the Shopify App Store, or work with a Shopify Partner to create a custom solution.
For example, apps like Zepto and Easify allow Shopify stores to provide simple customization options and integrate with core Shopify systems, like Checkout. Some apps also integrate with core operational softwares like inventory management, supply chain management, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
These integrations can reduce administrative labor, facilitate inventory management, and make it easy to store information about customer preferences, helping you fulfill customer orders efficiently.
Design validation
Shopify product configurators guide customers toward feasible customizations and ensure you can produce a customer’s designs. You can create configuration rules when you set up your tool.
For example, you might specify that a stool can have three or four legs, but not more or less, and not three and four at once. Many apps offer these sorts of options through conditional logic tools.
Top 4 Shopify product configurator apps
There’s a lot you can do with Shopify’s free product configuration tools, but for store owners with more complex needs, a third-party app might be the right solution.
Here are some of the most popular third-party product configurator apps from the Shopify App Store:
1. Zepto
Zepto is a Built for Shopify product configurator with more than 1,000 five-star reviews. The app allows shoppers to choose from different product elements, which store owners define using the tool’s variant builder. For example, a watch seller might set options for band color, hardware material, and dial design.
Zepto also supports personalization like engraving and monogramming. It doesn’t have 3D visualization, so customers preview their selections as a static image.
Plans and pricing
Starter for $9.99 per month; Basic for $19.99 per month; Pro for $29.99 per month; Unlimited for $49.99 per month; 15-day free trial available for all plans.
Who it’s for
Store owners looking for a reliable product configurator with unlimited options per product at all price points.
Features
-
Built for Shopify
-
Conditional logic
-
Text input fields
-
File upload capabilities
-
Visual preview
-
Dynamic pricing
-
Chat support
-
Shopify App Store rating: 4.9
2. Easify
With more than 2,000 five-star reviews, Easify is one of the most popular Built for Shopify product configurator apps. Easify’s templates have predefined fields so you can get started without manually creating each element. For example, the jewelry template includes options for metal color, ring size, and engravings.
Easify has a “forever free plan” with 15 option types and the ability to add customization info to emails and packing slips. Some features, like in-cart option editing, are only available with paid plans. Easify only supports static images.
Plans and pricing
Free plan available; Pro plan for $9.99 per month; Premium plan for $19.99 per month; Enterprise plan for $99.99 per month; 14-day free trial available for all paid plans.
Who it’s for
Store owners looking for a free plan that supports syncing of options with confirmation emails and packing slips.
Features
-
Built for Shopify
-
Conditional logic
-
Text input fields
-
File upload capabilities
-
Visual preview
-
Templates
-
Email support
-
Customization sync across emails and packing slips
-
Shopify App Store rating: 4.4
3. Optis
Optis is a Built for Shopify product customization app with built-in analytics, so you can see which product variants are the most popular (even with the free version of the app). You’ll need the app’s platinum package ($19.99 per month) for unlimited option types and in-cart option editing.
Many of the app’s 2,000 five-star reviews mention responsive customer service. Optis does not support 3D visualization.
Plans and pricing
Free plan available; Advanced for $9.99 per month; Platinum for $19.99 per month; Unlimited for $49.99 per month; 14-day free trial available for all paid plans.
Who it’s for
Store owners who want built-in analytics.
Features
-
Built for Shopify
-
Analytics
-
Conditional logic (paid plans only)
-
Text input fields
-
File upload capabilities
-
Visual preview
-
Dynamic pricing
-
Email and chat support
-
Customization sync across emails and packing slips
-
Cart page edits (platinum plan and above)
-
Shopify App Store rating: 4.9
4. Zakeke
Zakeke is a product configurator with 3D and AR features that allow customers to envision your products in the real world. Customers can upload photos of themselves and “try on” products in a virtual fitting room or view 3D visualizations of personalized products.
Zakeke integrates with print-on-demand (POD) software like Printful and CustomCat, so you can sync inventory from those platforms and automatically notify your POD partner when a product is ready to make. Note that you’ll need to upgrade to the Grow plan ($149.90 per month) to remove Zakeke’s branding.
Plans and pricing:
Free plan for development stores only; Starter for $79.90 per month; Grow for $149.90 per month; Scale for $299.90 per month; 14-day free trial available for all paid plans.
Who it’s for
Store owners who want 3D product visualization.
Features
-
Text input fields
-
File upload capabilities
-
3D product visualization
-
AR product visualization
-
Email support
-
AI features
-
POD integrations
-
Shopify App Store rating: 4.4
Benefits of using a product configurator
Here are some of the ways in which adding product configuration capabilities can benefit a business and its customers:
Lowered barrier to purchase
Product configurators provide transparent pricing and help customers visualize custom products. Advanced visualization techniques like 3D product modeling and AR can prove particularly beneficial if you sell products intended for certain spaces, charge upmarket prices, or don’t accept returns.
Furniture company Arhaus has a Build Your Own Sectional tool with 3D modeling that enables shoppers to see their configuration from all angles. Steve, vice president of ecommerce and digital at Arhaus, says visualization tools are crucial for furniture because it’s so expensive.
Reduced lead time
Configurators can speed up the custom product purchasing process, helping you close more sales and efficiently deliver finished products. A manual process requires customers to wait for quotes from a sales department before placing custom orders. Depending on your business, those quotes could take up to several days—enough time for a customer to lose enthusiasm for a purchase or opt for a faster-moving competitor.
Product configurators provide instant quotes, allowing customers to complete orders immediately. Design validation and automatic order creation can also speed up the production process. These help you avoid costly mistakes by reducing the risk of human error during the design process and ensuring that new customer orders immediately enter the production queue.
Opportunity for customer engagement
Creating new designs is fun. That’s why there are LEGO, paper dolls, and seemingly infinite Fortnite skins. Enabling customers to experiment with designs adds entertainment value to the customer experience, encouraging engagement with your products and brand.
Offering an interactive shopping experience can also encourage referrals and word-of-mouth marketing. Prospective customers don’t need to be active buyers to build positive associations with your brand that can lead to sales later.
Effective product configurator examples
Here are three product configurator examples:
Arhaus
Arhaus worked with Shopify Partner agency Domaine and 3D visualization software company 3D Source to build a custom product configurator specifically for sectionals. Because sectionals have more structural setup options than other furniture items and come in at a higher price point, it’s especially useful.
“If you think about a sectional sofa, you could have a right arm or a left arm. You can make it as big or as small as you want, depending on your space,” Steve says.
Because each piece of the sectional can only connect to others in specific ways, selecting a piece to add reveals plus signs (+) that show where that piece can fit. The visualization updates in real time, along with the price and stock levels.
Domaine built fabric selection as a separate step after user testing revealed that fabric type and features were more important to testers than price and room fit. “Giving fabric its own space within the experience ensured this information felt accessible without introducing excessive scrolling or distraction,” the agency says in a case study.
Sigg
The Swiss company Sigg sells durable recycled aluminum water bottles. The brand has a suite of standard designs, but it also lets customers personalize their bottles by adding text, clipart, and their own visual media.
Shoppers can view their customized bottles with 3D and AR visualizations powered by Zakeke.
Kinnon
Kinnon is a leather goods brand that sells high-quality bags, laptop sleeves, and compendiums. The brand offers personalization options for many of its items.
For the Hudson Compendium product, for example, shoppers can add a complimentary monogram and decide in their desired font and color. Kinnon uses the Shopify product configurator Zepto.
Shopify product configurator FAQ
How can I add product configuration to my Shopify store?
Shopify comes with the ability to configure products by offering multiple variants from a single listing. Other built-in product configuration tools include the free Shopify Bundles app, the Cart Transform API, and the Shopify Combined Listings app for Plus users. The Shopify App Store also has third-party configuration and bundling apps.
What is an example of a configure-to-order product?
Many furniture retailers sell configurable products. A furniture company, for example, might sell configurable desks, beds, tables, chairs, and home accents, allowing customers to customize the size, color, and finishes.
Which industries use product configurators?
Product configurators are popular in industries with variation-rich products, including the furniture industry, automotive industry, and fashion industry.
