Create configurator — assemble products step by step

A configurator guides customers step by step through a series of decisions that ultimately define a concrete product. For a kitchen, those are body color, front material, handles, appliances, worktop. Every selection influences the next options — anyone choosing solid wood sees different front colors than someone choosing high gloss. Conditional logic is therefore the heart of a good configurator.

Plan the branches before you build the form. Sketch on paper or in a flowchart which selection triggers which follow-up questions. Keep the depth limited: three to five branching levels are the practical upper limit, anything more becomes unmaintainable. Avoid dead ends — every configuration must ultimately lead to a valid product. Build with real personas in mind: what does a first-time buyer want? What does a professional want? Ideally there is a simple standard path and an extended expert path between which the user can choose.

A configuration without a live price feels like shopping blindfolded. Therefore show the current total price immediately on every selection, ideally prominently and visible on every step. The calculation engine calculates the sum from base price, modifiers for the selections and surcharges for options. Use a consistent display — such as a sticky bar at the bottom of the screen that always shows the price and a "Next" button.

Communicate honestly what is included in the price and what is not. Delivery, assembly, VAT — these items must be clearly declared, otherwise frustration arises with the final quote. If the final conditions have to be individualized by sales (such as volume discount), mark the configurator price as indication: "Indicative price. Binding quote follows on request." This transparency creates trust and avoids later discussions. Offer a small breakdown ("What costs what?") as a tooltip or dropdown — anyone who understands this is more likely to buy.

Configurations are often decisions across several sessions. Anyone assembling a kitchen may want to consult with their partner or reconsider the offer overnight. Therefore build a "save for later" function. The simplest variant: the user provides an email, receives a link to the saved configuration and can continue editing it at any time.

This mechanism has a nice side effect: you already collect the lead before completion. Even those who do not finish the configuration have given you their email and thus signaled interest. A gentle reminder after three days ("Would you like to continue editing your configuration?") activates many of these silent leads. Store the configuration state server-side with a unique ID and persist it for 30 to 90 days. After that it should be automatically deleted under GDPR principles, provided no inquiry has arisen from it. Communicate this storage duration transparently.

A finished configuration is a qualified lead — the prospect has invested, knows their wishes and is waiting for the binding offer. Hand over this inquiry to sales as quickly and completely as possible. Via webhook, the configuration lands in the CRM or sales tool, with all selections, the indicative price, the contact data and a unique configuration ID.

Additionally automatically generate a PDF with the complete configuration as an attachment. This saves sales preparation work and the prospect immediately receives a professional summary. Build a clear initial contact workflow: within 24 hours a call or a personal mail from the responsible sales person. This reaction speed is decisive in sales — anyone who waits longer than 48 hours loses significant conversion. If you do not have an internal sales team, forward the inquiry to a partner or specialist dealer — here too a webhook into their system or a cleanly formatted email suffices. The main thing is that the configuration does not disappear unused in the spam filter.