Service · Software development

Custom product configurator development.

A product configurator turns a complex product with dozens to thousands of variants into a selection flow that your customer or dealer can work through on their own. Visual or functional, in your webshop or as a standalone environment, we build configurators that match your product rules, ERP data and commercial reality.

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A configurator is more than a choice menu.

If you put a product configurator on your site without a well-considered data architecture, you end up with a tool that produces quotes that production or purchasing cannot fulfil. The combination of colour, material and size has to exist, be available, carry a correct price, and flow through to the order form without errors.

We build configurators starting from your product rules. Which options depend on one another, which combinations are not allowed, how is the price built up, what should happen when stock runs out, and what does the configuration look like once saved in your ERP or order management system? Only once that foundation is sound do we add an interface on top that is genuinely pleasant to use.

We work with clients in manufacturing, construction, mobility, the furniture industry and insurance. Each time bespoke: a configurator for sliding doors has fundamentally different requirements from one for quotes on custom machinery. The former has to look right down to the millimetre, while the latter has to account for production capacity, margins per dealer and approval steps for your sales team.

A product configurator almost always touches several systems. At the front sits the selection flow for the end customer or dealer. At the back sit product rules, pricing engines, stock checks and order processing. In between runs a rules engine that must be able to answer dozens of questions every second: does this combination exist, is this price permitted, is it available, which image belongs to it. The quality of that engine determines whether your configurator becomes a sales channel or a maintenance burden.

What distinguishes a good configurator.

Rules-driven

Product rules live in a central engine, not scattered through the code.

Live data

Prices and stock come directly from the ERP, not from a static export.

Visually accurate

The render resembles what is delivered — no gap between render and reality.

Seamless flow-through

The output is an order line or quote, not a PDF that someone retypes by hand.

Five types of configurator we build.

Which type fits depends on the product, the sales channel and the degree of complexity. Often it is a combination. For business quote flows with approval steps and margin rules, we often head towards a CPQ system.

Type 01

Visual 2D and 3D configurator

The customer sees the product change live as they switch colour, material or options. For products where the visual makes the difference: kitchens, façades, sofas, bicycles, cars, sliding doors. We build with Three.js or WebGL for 3D rendering and with SVG or canvas overlays for 2D cross-sections. The 3D assets often come from your existing CAD environment; we work with glTF, USDZ and GLB and, where possible, set up an asset pipeline that automatically makes new product variants render-ready.

Three.jsWebGLSVG overlayReal-time renderglTF / USDZ

Type 02

Functional configurator

No render, but an accurate price and availability status based on the chosen specifications. For products where the value lies in the engineering rather than the appearance: industrial installations, insurance policies, technical components, B2B component bundles. The output is a specified quote, a PDF or a direct order line. The rules engine accounts for dependencies between options, minimum and maximum values, validation of combinations, and correct price build-up including discounts and VAT.

Rules enginePrice calculationPDF quoteSpecification sheetConditional logic

Type 03

Modular configurator

The customer chooses modules or components, and the system ensures the combination is technically valid. For systems with interdependencies: industrial machinery, IT bundles, office fit-outs, storage systems, modular building systems. The rules engine prevents impossible builds before they reach production: no quotes the shop floor has to reject, no orders that stall halfway because module A and B don't fit together. The output is a complete bill of materials that flows straight into production or purchasing.

Module validationDependency rulesConstraint solverBill of materialsBOM export

Type 04

Webshop configurator

Integrated into an existing Magento, Shopify or WooCommerce environment. The configuration is stored as a product variant or configurable product, so checkout, stock and fulfilment keep working as they always have. Seamless integration via APIs, custom product variant handling and webhook events. We keep the webshop back office as the source of truth for customer, order and payment data, and build the configurator as a headless layer on top.

MagentoShopifyWooCommerceHeadless checkoutProduct variant API

Type 05

Dealer or B2B configurator

For products sold through dealers, agents or partners. Customer-specific prices, margins and discount rules per dealer, stock per region, language and currency switcher. Often behind a login, with approval workflows and integration with the dealer CRM via our API integrations. For larger organisations, we combine this configurator with approval steps for sales management and integration with your ERP system for live margin monitoring.

Per-dealer pricingMulti-currencyApproval flowDealer CRMMargin monitoring

What you get at the end.

A working configurator, including everything you need to manage and expand it independently.

The configurator

Production and staging environments, hosted in your cloud or with us.

Rules engine

Product rules in a management interface that your team can update themselves.

Integrations

Integrations with ERP, PIM, CRM and webshop, with documentation per integration.

Codebase and documentation

Full source code, build instructions and an architecture overview.

Managed service (optional)

Monitoring, security patches, 3D asset updates and ongoing development.

When a bespoke configurator is the right choice.

Four patterns we often encounter before a client gets in touch with us.

Quoting bottleneck

Sales is stuck in calculation spreadsheets

Every quote requires manual calculations in a chain of spreadsheets with formulas nobody dares to touch any more. Lead times grow, errors creep in, and capable people spend their time adding up numbers instead of serving customers.

Wrong orders

Production complains about impossible builds

Combinations the webshop allows but production cannot deliver. Every wrong order costs time, customer satisfaction and margin. This can often be solved by modelling product rules more strictly and having the configurator validate before checkout.

Standard solution too limited

Off-the-shelf doesn't fit your product

A Magento extension or plug-in covers most of your rules, but the remaining few per cent are exactly where your product stands out. Workarounds in a standard package quickly become more expensive than a targeted, bespoke configurator.

Selling visually

Photos no longer tell the story

Your product has too many variants to photograph every combination. A 3D render that responds to the customer's choices sells better than a static carousel, and also saves you from paying a photographer for every new variant.

Application areas by industry.

Our experience spans a broad range of industries. Every product has its own rules: what works for banks rarely works for industrial machinery.

Manufacturing

Machinery and installations

Configurators for industrial machines, installations and components, with dependency rules between modules, BOM export to production and integration with your production planning. The output is usually a specified technical quote plus a bill of materials.

Build

Kitchens, sliding doors, facades, window frames

Visual configurators for building products where dimensions, material and finish affect one another. With integration to production planning and installation scheduling, and with real-time indication of availability per region.

Mobility

Cars, bicycles, e-bikes, trailers

Dealer configurators with customer-specific pricing, financing modules and integration with the factory for delivery status. Including test drive requests and passing the configuration on to the nearest dealer.

Furniture industry

Custom benches, cabinets and tables

Visual 3D configurators with choices of material, colour and fabric, dimension adjustments and accessories. Often integrated with a PIM for product information and with production for bills of materials and planning.

Insurance

Quote configurators for insurance policies

Functional configurators that give an immediate premium estimate based on customer characteristics and chosen coverage. Includes underwriting rules, exclusion clauses and passing the data on to policy administration.

Print and promotion

Printed matter and corporate gifts

Configurators with a live preview of logo placement, colour choice and a price scale by print run. The output is a print-ready file plus an order form with production instructions.

How an engagement works.

01Introduction→ 02Mapping product rules→ 03Building in sprints→ 04Rollout and management

No-obligation conversation

Introduction

Which product, which variants, which sales channels and which systems sit behind it. We listen to your process and give direction where that helps.

Workshop with your team

Product rules and data

We map out the product rules, price structure and integrations together. Output: a workable data structure and a prioritised list for the build.

Fortnightly sprints

Build and validation

A working build every sprint. You test along, possibly with end customers or dealers in a protected environment. Feedback goes straight into the next sprint.

Ongoing

Rollout and management

Phased rollout, handover to your management team and further development in follow-up sprints where needed. Monitoring and security patches continue throughout.

Tech stack we work with.

For each project we choose what fits your existing landscape and the visual and functional requirements of the configurator. For 3D we rely heavily on Three.js. For the rules engine, often a bespoke TypeScript implementation or an open-source constraint solver. Depending on your situation, the backend runs on Node.js or Python, with PostgreSQL as the primary database and Redis for caching frequently queried product rules. For product data we like to work with a headless CMS or a PIM such as Akeneo, so that marketing and product management can feed the configurator independently, without developer involvement.

Frontend and visualisation

ReactVueNext.jsThree.jsWebGLCanvas 2D

Backend, data and rules

Node.jsPythonTypeScriptPostgreSQLRedisHeadless CMS

Integration and commerce

MagentoShopifyWooCommerceSAPExactAkeneo PIM

Frequently asked questions.

What is the difference between a visual and a functional product configurator?

With a visual configurator, the customer sees the product change live in 2D or 3D as they make choices. With a functional configurator, there is no render; instead the customer receives a specified price, delivery status and quote based on their choices. In practice we often combine the two: visual where it adds value, functional where specifications and prices matter more than pictures.

How does it differ from a CPQ system?

A product configurator is more consumer- or dealer-facing and more visual: it sits in your webshop or dealer portal and is meant to let the customer make a choice themselves. A CPQ system is more B2B sales-oriented: your sales team uses it to put together complex quotes with approval steps and margin rules. They often exist side by side or merge into one another.

Can a product configurator be integrated with our webshop, ERP or PIM?

Yes, and in almost every project that is the substantive work. We build integrations with Magento, Shopify and WooCommerce for checkout, with SAP, Exact or a custom ERP for pricing and stock, and with Akeneo or another PIM for product data. Our smart API integrations ensure that a single product source remains the source of truth.

How do you handle 3D rendering versus static images?

3D rendering is powerful but not always necessary. For products with dozens or hundreds of visual combinations (cars, bicycles, bespoke sofas), real-time 3D with Three.js is the logical choice. For products with a handful of colour variants, static images or SVG overlays often work perfectly well and are quicker to maintain. Together we determine which route delivers the most value.

How is a customer's configuration stored?

As structured data, usually a JSON object containing the chosen options plus a generated SKU or configuration ID. It is stored in our database, passed on to your order management system or ERP, and can always be retrieved via a URL or a customer account. This way a customer can save, share or later complete their configuration.

Do you work headless or full-stack?

Both are possible. A headless architecture makes sense when you want to serve multiple channels from the same product logic, for example a public webshop configurator alongside a dealer portal sharing the same rules engine underneath. For a single channel, an integrated approach is often faster and cheaper to manage.

What determines the cost of a custom product configurator?

The biggest cost drivers are the complexity of the product rules, the number and nature of the integrations, and the choice between 2D and 3D visualisation. A functional configurator with a handful of options and one ERP integration is a project of a few sprints. A 3D configurator with dealer-specific pricing and approval workflows is a larger project. After the introductory call, we give direction and are open about what the scope choices mean.

Can we start small and build from there?

Almost always that is the smartest route. We start with a first working version that covers the most valuable selection flow, for example the visual part or the first few product lines, and set up an architecture that can grow. Later extensions (additional product lines, additional languages, dealer-specific pricing, approval steps) are added in follow-up sprints without having to rebuild. That way the configurator delivers value straight away while you learn what version two needs.

Talk to us about your product configurator.

A free, 30-minute introductory call. We listen to your product and sales flow, ask questions about your data and integrations, and give direction you can actually use. Would you rather first explore what web development involves? That's possible too.

Schedule an introductory call Email fabian.vandijk@appfront.nl