Classic Architectural Group

Company Overview

Classic Architectural Group is a leading manufacturer of public safety products, specialising in stair nosings, tactile indicators, entrance matting and car park safety. Their high quality products are found in shopping centres, offices and universities all around Australia and ensure public spaces are attractive and easy to navigate.

With a focus on delivering bespoke solutions, the company has built a reputation for excellence and innovation in safety design. They offer a wide selection of stylish materials and options for designers, builders and architects to incorporate into their projects.

Challenges

As Classic Architectural Group’s services expanded, the number of products and options became more comprehensive. Customer requirements began to increase and needed more flexibility to provide stair nosings and tactiles to suit custom specifications. Like many businesses, their sales process involved supplying brochures to their clients, however this was not the optimal way to showcase their extensive range of options.

The Solution: 3D Product Configurators

To address these challenges, the company implemented an ultra-realistic 3D Product Configurator on their website. This tool allowed customers to visually customise their product range in real-time, choosing from a variety of substrates, finishes and safety elements. It allowed Classic Architectural Group to showcase every stair safety option in high quality 3D, creating an immersive specifications experience, unmatched by competitors.

Classic Architectural Group were also in the process of launching a new website and wanted to maximise the effectiveness of their marketing and customer engagement.

3D Configurator Implementation & Planning

Finding the right 3D Configurator partner annd getting started with 3D products involved the following stages for Classic Architectural Group.

Needs Assessment and Planning

The first step was to identify the key features required in the configurator. The company needed a tool that could handle the complexity of tailored products while being user-friendly and visually accurate. This involved collaboration between the sales, marketing, and their product development team.

Partner Selection

Classic Architectural Group partnered with INHAABIT as they provide a leading AR and 3D Configurator solution that specialises in ultra-realistic product visualisation. INHAABIT had extensive experience creating successful 3D Configurator solutions for established retailers and manufacturers, ensuring they understood the specific needs of the industry.

Development and Integration

The development phase of the project required creating detailed 3D models of the company’s product range, focusing on intricate details of stair nosings, tactiles, and entrance matting. This required a coordinated and efficient process between the Classic Architectural Group and INHAABIT to accurately recreate the characteristics, materials and sizing of each product in 3D and Augmented Reality.

Testing and Feedback

Before the official launch, the 3D configurator was tested extensively and enhancements made to the interface to improve features. Classic Architectural Group also added a Save Design feature to enable customers to save and retrieve their configurations via a smart email link. This had a dual purpose of allowing customers to access their designs, acquire data for popular configurations and generate new prospect leads for the sales team.

Launch and Marketing

The interactive 3D Configurator was launched on the company’s new website, elevating the marketing experience and creating a new standard for office safety. It allowed Classic Architectural Group to reach new customers, generate greater website engagement and create an industry benchmark for their sales experience.

INHAABIT’s Ultra-realistic 3D Product Configurator Platform

A key priority for onboarding Classic Architectural Group’s range, was to ensure the physical characteristics were accurate. In particular, the stair nosings featured unique designs which connect to the edge of steps and these needed to be highly detailed so customers could see exact features. INHAABIT’s team worked closely with the marketing team to ensure the onboarding process was seamless, efficent and met the quality they required.

Entrance matting also needed to accurately match the texture of the physical mats. INHAABIT’s prior experience with onboarding complex textures for furniture, ensured they could digitally recreate any sruface and allow it to be visualised in high quality 3D.

The 3D Product Configurator enabled designers and stakeholders to build and customise options in real-time, increasing their project confidence as well as aligning with their creative process.

Once products are configured, they could also be viewed in Augmented Reality (AR), allowing customers to try the stair module or surface example in their space. This allowed them to visualise different material combinations, how they would suit their environment and view the physical sizing of objects such as tactiles.

Benefits of Implementing a 3D Configurator For Stair Nosings, Tactiles & Entrance Matting

Enhanced Customer Experience

The ability for customers to visualise stair nosings, tactiles and entrance matting in 3D, provided a much more compelling sales experience compared to only using brochures and imagery. It also reduced the reliance on physical samples, with customers able to realistically visualise any configuration at any time online.

Increased Project Confidence

By enabling customers to visualise stair nosings and tactiles in AR in their space, customers could get a greater sense and see examples of how the options would appear in their environment. The 3D Configurator also featured different types of substrate finishes to showcase how stair nosings, tactiles and matting would appear on surfaces such as concrete, tiles, carpet, timber and more. High quality images could also be downloaded from any angle to supply to stakeholders.

Streamlined Customisation Process

Customers could instantly see every type of insert material, tactile option and matting patterns with the tap of a button. The sales team could also leverage the online configurator as a powerful sales tool, to guide customers through the options. This would speed up the sales, communication and decision making process, allowing customers to see their exact requirements in ultra-realistic 3D.

Improved Accuracy & Reduced Errors

The ability to see and customise products in 3D and a built in enquiry process ensured that all specifications and customer requirements were accurate. The 3D Configurator reduced the likelihood of errors, by allowing customer and sales staff to retrieve a saved configuration with product specifications listed.

Enhanced Sales Team Efficiency

The sales team could focus on more strategic tasks and new leads would also be generated via the online 3D Configurator. Previously, internal design resources would be needed to create 3D renders based on prospect enquiries, however the configurator now automates this process, allowing customers to instantly see their options in 3D. This frees up staff to engage with more customers and close deals faster.

Competitive Advantage

The implementation of a 3D product configurator has positioned Classic Architectural Group as a technology leader in their industry. This innovation has not only attracted new customers but also enhanced loyalty among existing clients who appreciate the ease and convenience of the new visualisation tool.

Enhanced Customer Experience

Customers now have the ability to visualise their custom configurations in 3D, which has significantly improved their confidence in projects. The configurator allows for real-time modifications, providing a more interactive and immersive browsing experience. This has also resulted in greater engagement on Classic Architectural Group’s product pages, ensuring their new website is a success.

Reduced Lead Times

The configurator has simplified the sales process by streamlining some of the communication and asset creation, previously required to capture requirements. This has led to faster turnaround times for quotations.

Better Visualisation Of the Final Product

Ultra-realistic 3D products and Augmented Reality ensure that customers can see exactly how the finish, sizing and product options will appear. The AR feature is quick and easy to use, requiring customers to simply scan a QR code on their mobile and try the objects on their floor, in their space.

Results & Conclusion

The introduction of a 3D Product Configurator has completely transformed Classic Architectural Group’s sales and customer experience. By embracing digital innovation, they have significantly improved operational efficiency, enhancing their sales process and boosting customer satisfaction.

The case study showcases the immediate benefit a 3D Product Configurator can provide by allowing customers to visualise product options in high quality AR + 3D. For Classic Architectural Group, it brings their product range to life and frees up their team to focus on providing the best possible sales and marketing experience.