On Friday afternoon a colleague sends a link: "I built a configurator with AI over the weekend." The pergola turns, the dimensions change with a slider and a price glows at the bottom. The whole thing cost one weekend and a tool subscription.
That's fine. AI coding tools really have shortened the road to a first version, and the colleague showed more than any presentation would. The problem is that the first version is the cheapest part of the whole configurator. The expensive part comes afterwards: every price list change, every new model, every enquiry that mustn't get lost.
Today you can build a configurator with AI, have an agency build it to order, or rent it as SaaS. What decides is not the price of the first version but who will change the prices, fix bugs and pass enquiries to the sales team a year from now. Building it yourself with AI pays off for one simple product and an in-house developer, an agency for a unique product and a larger budget, SaaS for several products with 3D and enquiries that should end up in a CRM.
What the weekend version can't do yet
The first version shows the product. A configurator that sells also needs this:
- Rules from the salesperson's head. AI writes the code, but it doesn't know that above 4 m you need a different beam. Someone has to tell it, and that is most of the work.
- A price list that changes. The cost of a profile goes up and someone has to update it. If only the person who wrote the code can do that, the price list waits for their free evening.
- 3D models for every variant. One pergola turns easily. Ten models with dimensions to the centimetre, put together by rules, is a different job.
- An enquiry that arrives. A form, spam protection, an email to the salesperson, a record in the CRM. When something breaks on a Saturday, who notices?
- A phone and a slower computer. Everything runs on a developer's laptop. The customer opens the configurator on a three-year-old phone.
Nobody is doing anything wrong here. The weekend version is exactly what it should be: proof that it can be done.
Three routes and what you pay for in each
Building it yourself with AI
You pay with your own person's time and the tools. The code is yours, and changes are quick while that person is with the firm. The risk is one name: when they leave or run out of time, the configurator stops.
A bespoke agency build
You pay for the project and then for maintenance. You get exactly what you specified, including your own look and integration. The risk is that every change after handover is a new order and a new deadline.
A SaaS configurator
You pay monthly for a ready foundation that someone else runs and develops. Launch is shorter because most of the work already exists. The risk is the platform's limits: what it can't do, you have to sort out with the supplier. treede is one of these routes, which is why we also say what it can't do.
When each route pays off
Build it yourself with AI when…
- you sell one product with a few options and the rules rarely change;
- you have someone in the firm who understands the code and will maintain it;
- a calculator or simple 3D is enough and you send enquiries by email.
Use an agency when…
- the product is so unique that no platform covers it;
- you need a specific connection to your own system and have the budget for it;
- changes after launch will be rare and you can plan them in advance.
Choose SaaS when…
- you sell several products or variants and the price list changes during the year;
- you want 3D that is put together by rules, and enquiries with a specification in a CRM;
- you have no developer of your own and don't want the configurator to depend on one person.
When not to build a configurator at all
You don't need a configurator at all if:
- You sell finished models without variants. A catalogue or a webshop is enough.
- You get a handful of enquiries a month. A form and a phone call cost less than any of the three routes.
- The price list doesn't exist yet. Neither AI, nor an agency, nor SaaS can conjure rules out of it.
If you didn't recognise yourself in any of these, carry on.
A five-minute test: who will run the configurator a year from now?
- Who changes the price when materials go up? If the answer is "a colleague, when they have time", you also have the answer about the route.
- Who fixes a bug on a Saturday? With your own build, you; with an agency, whatever the contract says; with SaaS, the supplier.
- How many new models will be added in a year? Every model is work; the only question is whose.
- Where should the enquiry go? A form is enough for an inbox. Into a CRM with a specification, it's already a system.
The first step takes five minutes: write a person's name next to questions 1 and 2. A blank space will decide for you.
What treede offers as SaaS
- The existing foundation supports pergolas, fences and verandas. For a new type of product we start with a technical assessment.
- The configurator runs under your brand, on your domain or ours.
- The configuration can be saved to treede CRM with the specification, contact details and a link to the design.
- A connection to your CRM or ERP is designed individually, around its interface.
- What it can't do yet: connections are not a catalogue of ready-made connectors, and PDF output for your deployment is in preparation.
- Operation costs from €200 a month, and implementation is priced by scope. What the price is made of is covered in How much does a 3D product configurator cost?
How to choose between suppliers is covered in Don't choose a configurator by its 3D.
Frequently asked questions
Can you program a configurator with AI?
Yes, the first version. AI will write the code, but the product rules, the price list and the care after launch stay with you.
Who owns the code?
With your own build, you do. With an agency, whatever the contract says, so ask before you sign. With SaaS the code stays with the supplier. Who owns the enquiries and data, and how you get them out, should be in the contract.
Can you start with your own version and move to SaaS later?
Yes, and your own version comes in handy then. The rules you wrote down for it are a ready brief for any route that follows.
What now
And that weekend configurator? Don't throw it away. It's the best brief you've ever had: it shows what you want and reveals which rules nobody has written down yet.
If you're considering SaaS, see what a configurator with treede CRM costs.
