You write to a supplier: "How much does a 3D configurator cost?" and the answer comes back: "It depends." It's a true answer, you just can't put it in a budget.
How much a 3D product configurator costs for a made-to-order manufacturer comes down to two parts: a one-off implementation, set by the scope of the catalogue, the pricing rules, the 3D inputs and the connections, and monthly operation. With treede, running the configurator with treede CRM starts from €200 a month, and we price implementation by scope.
Below is what that price is made of, what changes it and what to ask, so that you compare like with like.
How much does a 3D product configurator cost: the two parts
- One-off implementation. Setting the configurator up for your product: the catalogue, the rules, the price calculation, the 3D base and the hand-over of the enquiry. It's priced by scope, which is why there isn't one price for everyone.
- Monthly operation. With treede it gets you the configurator under your brand, a price calculation set up on your price list, treede CRM with the specification, contact and link, hosting, fixes and updates, technical support and management of the price list and rules to an agreed extent. It starts from €200 a month.
- Separate items. Landing page, campaigns and the advertising budget are separately priced services, and we add them to a proposal only if the project needs them. The configurator alone doesn't bring in visitors. Development beyond the agreed scope is priced separately too.
What sets the implementation price
Four things decide the scope of implementation, and with it the price.
Catalogue scope
How many model lines, variants and materials the configurator has to cover, and how they differ from each other. A configurator for one model line and a configurator for the whole range are two different jobs, even if they look alike on a website.
Pricing rules
Whether you have a price list and formulas in a usable form, or they first have to be reconstructed from what your salespeople do. Excel is fine to start with and is the best source of rules there is. A file called pricelist_FINAL_v7_really_last.xlsx that only one colleague understands is a source too, it's just that the colleague will be in high demand for a while. Why an Excel price list is nearly a finished brief is the subject of Why your Excel price list should be a 3D configurator.
3D inputs
Whether we have something to start from, meaning CAD, drawings or technical sheets, or build the geometry from scratch. If the inputs don't exist and can't be derived from drawings, we price creating them separately. An existing base supports pergolas, fences and verandas.
Integrations
Where the enquiry goes next. Handing it over to treede CRM is part of the solution. A connection to your CRM, ERP or e-shop is designed individually, around the interface and version of the system, and we assess it before pricing. It isn't a catalogue of ready-made connectors.
An existing base, or a new product
Both price and time differ depending on whether we're building on something.
- An existing base. For a product we already have a 3D base for, launch is in roughly a week from complete inputs. The week runs from delivery and approval of the inputs, not from the first email.
- A new product type. First we review the variants, the structural rules and the available inputs, and check whether we can build on an existing solution or need to prepare a new base. We set the date after the inputs and the brief are approved, and the price is bespoke.
We prepare a first estimate after an introductory call and a review of the product data.
Five questions to ask every supplier
Quotes can only be compared when each one counts the same things. Ask:
- What does the monthly fee include? Hosting, fixes, updates and support, or just access to a tool?
- Who changes the price list when a material price moves? You or the supplier, and whether that's in the price.
- What is the 3D model built from? An existing base or from scratch, and whether creating the inputs is in the price.
- What about the connection to your CRM or ERP? Is it in the price, or assessed separately?
- What happens when the scope changes after launch? A new model line, a new rule: how development beyond the agreed scope is priced.
How to tell whether it pays off
You hold the most reliable numbers yourself. An illustration with made-up figures: say a firm prepares 40 quotes a month and each takes 90 minutes, a good part of it spent filling in the brief. That's 60 hours a month. If a configurator took over a third of that work, it's 20 hours a month. Multiply those by a salesperson's hourly cost and compare the result with the monthly operation and with the implementation spread over the period in which you want it to pay back.
How many hours a month you could win back from your own numbers is something the readiness checklist works out. It uses no outside average, only the numbers you enter. What a peer-reviewed study says about shorter quote preparation is in How to cut your quote turnaround time.
Frequently asked questions
Can you try a configurator without paying?
Yes. In the demo you can try the live 3D configurator free of charge and with no commitment, including a look at treede CRM during the call. Prices in the demo are illustrative. We prepare a simple demo on your own product free of charge once we've checked that it's suitable and technically feasible.
How much does implementation cost?
We price it by the scope of the catalogue, the pricing rules, the 3D inputs and the connections needed, which is why there isn't a single figure on the website. We prepare a first estimate after an introductory call and a review of the product data.
Does the price include getting customers?
No. The landing page, campaigns and advertising budget are separate items. We add them to a proposal only if the project needs them.
"It depends" still holds
The answer from the opening hasn't changed, but now you know what it depends on: the scope of the catalogue, the price list, the inputs and the connections. Whether your inputs are ready you can check in the readiness checklist. The details of operation are on the pricing page, no request needed.
