The product configurator for Dynamics 365

Challenges & solution

Enquire now without obligation

Challenges and success factors

Why the logic for the configurator should not start in the web store

As a manufacturer and refiner in industry and SMEs, you face a key challenge. If you sell products that can be customized by your customers, such as servers, laptops, desktop PCs, cars, motorcycles, roller shutters, doors or windows, then you need a product configurator in your online store. Easier said than done, because ...

... the configurator must communicate seamlessly with the merchandise management system, otherwise you will not be able to manufacture or sell anything.

Challenge 1 - Configurator & Webshop

The configurator is often implemented where potential buyers need it first: In the web store. That's why the configurator logic ends up in a place where a lot of programming effort goes into - the backend of your e-commerce solution. No sooner said than done, a lot of money invested: Frontend and backend deliver a reasonable result. BUT ...

... Ultimately, the data of the configuration ordered by the customer must also be transferred from the web store to the ERP - and back again. This is the only way production and logistics can work and the only way the buyer can view the stock of the individual components and items before checking out. 

Challenge 2 - Configurator & Middleware

In most cases, middleware is used when using a configurator, which transfers the data from the web store back to the ERP. This results in further development costs. Each new interface also makes the entire system more error-prone. The next update of your e-commerce platform could mean that the configurator no longer works in the store.

What's more, the data usually only flows in one direction: from the web store via the middleware to the merchandise management system. Although you have managed to synchronize selected data records, such as stock levels, back into the online store, the costs and effort involved were very high.

Challenge 3 - Configurator & sales team

What if your sales department wants to create a quote without the customer having to log in to the online store because they may not want to do so? Instead, they simply want to receive an offer PDF by email? A common business process in SMEs. 

Then you start to create interim solutions to import the desired configuration into the ERP so that the sales department can create a quote. Once this has been sent to the customer, in the best case scenario they want to buy an upgrade or make a change. And then the whole process starts again. The sales team takes up to 25 minutes to create a single quote - far too long, even for high-margin products. 

In the worst case scenario, the configuration logic and a lot of product data is only available in the backend of your online store. Now the product is taken offline because it has been sold out. However, aftersales and service always result in small quantities of used goods that can easily be offered as “refurbished”. If these items are not live in the web store, the sales team can no longer easily create an offer, as knowledge of the compatible components is only documented in the web store and possibly nowhere else. The refurbished, valuable products are now gathering dust in the warehouse until they are written off one day and disposed of.

This scenario takes place in the past. Find out in the next section how our product configurator efficiently and cost-effectively solves all the challenges mentioned for you.

The solution

The Dynamics 365 product configurator for all common e-commerce platforms

Do you sell customizable products such as servers, laptops, desktop PCs, cars, motorcycles, roller shutters, doors or windows? Do you need a product configurator for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance that is as individual as your business? Then we have the right solution for you. Our product configurator is directly integrated into Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and can be used for all common e-commerce platforms such as Magento, shopware, OXID eShop and many more.

Let your customers easily configure and purchase highly complex products in the online store of their choice.

Dynamics 365 Product Configurator - Simple to complex variants

With our product configurator, nested products can be easily put together and purchased. Your customers are taken by the hand and only see feasible model variants thanks to previously defined dependencies.  

Do you want to display a widely branched product with many dependencies in the online store? Your customers should be able to decide for themselves whether they want to delve into the smallest detail or just use a simplified view. This is also possible.

Dynamics 365 Product Configurator - Synchronization & Performance

Create a configurable product in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance in no time at all. State-of-the-art technologies such as Azure Blob Storage connect images directly to your online store without loading times. Information such as product texts or prices are synchronized with the e-commerce platform in real time. The performance gain due to the lack of middleware is enormous. Changes such as price adjustments in Dynamics 365 Finance are displayed in the online store without delay.

Dynamics 365 Product Configurator - connection to OXID eShop

And the best thing is: if you opt for OXID eShop, the connection of our product configurator to the webshop is already on board. 

As all the information and logic of the configurator remain in the merchandise management system, you also solve another challenge. What if your sales department wants to send an offer to a prospective customer as a PDF, i.e. the customer does not want to order in the online store herself? It's simple: the product is configured directly in Dynamics 365 Finance, transferred to a quote and sent via the CRM. Simple, fast and very efficient.

Challenge & solution