Top Product Customization Ideas for eCommerce Websites 2021
If you’re looking for ways to boost online sales for your eCommerce websites, take a look at these product customization ideas.
Providing your buyers with the chance to modify the products that you sell according to their tastes can certainly be beneficial. Your clients can express individuality, make things more personal both for themselves and for others. This eCommerce “move” is rather efficient and can help an online business boost sales.
In general, the online retail sphere is taking a huge step up. Websites are getting equipped with more and more modern technology like virtual try-on, artificial intelligence-powered chatbots, not to mention the leaps in mobile conversions that are reached by building progressive web apps. The same applies to crafting outstanding constructors and product builders for creating unique versions of regular items and assembling orders.
To give you some inspiration, in this post, we’d like to share 5 awesome product customization ideas of how product constructors are designed and implemented on the eCommerce sites of renowned companies and brands. Plus, we’ll explain why and how this can be advantageous for online businesses. Let’s dive in!
The “Haute Couture” Effect
Let’s start with the basics, even if the same item comes in various colors that the shopper is offered to select, this can already be considered as product customization. The more changes could be made to the item, the more versatile the product builder usually turns out to be from a technical perspective. Some product constructors are entertaining to use too! But obviously, it only makes sense to opt for such functionality if your product lines can be changed.
Put simply, by giving your customers the opportunity to play around with the look of the item in the product customizer (instead of making them buy the same thing that everyone else has “off the rack”), you:
- improve customer experience,
- allow people to be creative with their order,
- essentially make clients happier since they’ve obtained something unique.
The sense of exclusiveness is the reason why people often create DIY items, agree? Thus, on-site product builders are a good chance for you to grasp a bigger additional segment of customers who crave one-of-a-kind things and, consequently, increase your sales and grow your business.
In essence, even huge brands, such as Ray-Ban, Nike, and Levi’s, offer what I call the “Haute Couture” effect via product constructors. Now on to how it’s done in some examples!
1. Gucci DIY Gifts
Introducing a simple but neat customization solution, below are screenshots from the official Gucci website. Timed to the holiday season, Gucci decided to release a product line with customizable knitwear, tote bags, and Ophidia wallets. This is needed for making gifts for loved ones more special.
Classified as “DIY”, the builder allows selecting the letter to be placed on the item and what its design will be. As such, this simple constructor asks to choose a letter from the selector on the right. Upon click, it appears on the left wallet preview right away, then you can choose the color, material, and pattern of the initials too. As you can see, the builder is plain, uncomplicated, and fast to use.
Screenshots taken on the official Gucci website
2. “Build Your Own” by Pandora
The second product customizer in the overview is the one provided on the official Pandora website. I, personally, think that their bracelet customizer is a brilliant idea since when there’s a huge selection of charms, it can make your head dizzy. Buyers just don’t know where to start and how to find neat matches that’ll look good together.
So, the “over choice” dilemma is a common problem that a constructor can help to solve. It, ultimately, sifts away many doubts as it becomes easier for the shopper to visualize the result.
Take a look at the solution that’s shown on the screenshots below. The main element (the bracelet) is placed on the left. It is fitted with 5 placeholders in which the user can “try on” the charms that are listed on the right. The bracelet element can be turned from left to right, allowing you to view how the charms will look next to together when they’re hung. The builder can even show what the bracelet will be like in a different color of metal (Silver, Rose Gold, Gold).
Screenshot taken on the official Pandora website
3. Converse Custom Shoes
Creating something special is a popular trend in the “shoes” department as well. Thus, the third example of product customization is the builder that’s used on the official Converse website. This is a classic case of allowing users to be creative with the designs of their favorite shoes.
This is surely a more advanced solution than the two that were covered earlier. And the first thing that stands out is the vast selection of shoe models that can be modified, Converse currently has over 70 such shoes for men, women, and children that are marked on the site with rainbow circles!
The builder is very intuitive to use. Once you choose the model, you can edit the design. Most of the screen is taken up by the shoes that change angle and perspective depending on the element that’s being customized. As such, you may change the color/print of the outside material of the shoe, the tongue, lining, laces, stripe, and so much more. Whenever you hover over the possible elements in the selection section on the right, they’re highlighted on the shoes.
Screenshot taken on the official Converse website
4. Bright Star Kids Personalized Gifts
Another product customizer that made the list is the one on the official Bright Star Kids website. The entire idea of the brand revolves around personalization, so most items that are sold in this online store can be redesigned. As such, parents assemble orders with items for kids that’ll have their names.
Take a glimpse at the builder shown below. The swim bag on the example can come in two color variations, there are many decoration element options, and you may type in the name of the kid, and choose the font. As a result, be it a book bag, water bottle, lunch box, or anything else, the child will have exclusive items.
Screenshot taken on the official Bright Star Kids website
5. Timberland “Customize It”
The last example is the product builder that’s available on the official Timberland website. The functionality on this site is somewhat a combination of several of the solutions that we’ve taken a look at previously.
This constructor is very rich in elements and allows the user to select the angle of the shoe themselves, 360-degree rotation is available for spinning the item too. What I like about this solution is that apart from the option of starting from a blank slate, the shopper has the chance to modify pre-assembled design options that are located below the main element in the “Design inspiration” block.
Screenshot taken on the official Timberland website
Final Thoughts
Summing up, provided that you can assemble the products that you sell in their modified format, it makes sense to allow your shoppers to put together unique orders. Personalization is important when giving gifts, plus, more and more people strive to have exclusive items. Therefore, a step towards individualization can certainly bring your online store additional sales. Hope that these examples have given you a better idea of what product customization in eCommerce is like and have inspired you to craft a builder of your own!
