Click. Customize. Buy: How to Sell Complex Machines Online
Consulting business owners on selling complex machines online has always been a bit like running into a brick wall. “Too many specs,” “Too many configuration options,” “Our customers will never buy online,” “It’s too expensive for ecommerce,” “We can’t cut our dealers out.”
We’ve heard it all.
But the truth is, B2B customer expectations have changed. They want to be able to research, customize, and buy online without having a long back and forth with sales. They are used to being able to spec out a car, design custom furniture, and customize their Nikes online. Why should your product be any different?
With the right ecommerce approach anything can be sold online, even the most complex machinery. And, when you make the switch, your dealers, customers, and bottom line will thank you.
So how do you get from ‘too complicated’ to ‘click, customize, buy’? It starts with four must-haves.
The 4 Non-Negotiables for Selling Complex Machines Online
Product Configurators Prevent Expensive Mistakes
The more complex and configurable your product, the more prone to error. One wrong SKU in your quote can cost your business thousands of dollars in wasted work, wasted time, and lost trust. With a well-architected product configurator, you eliminate all of the risk of human error in the configuration and quoting stage. The configurator rules are defined and will not allow a quote to be processed with incorrect options.
ERP Integration Is a Must
Integrating your configurator with your ERP system ensures that pricing, inventory, and lead times are accurately represented to the customer and what they configure can actually be delivered in the time you say on your website for the price quoted. Without an ERP integration, a product configurator won’t add a lot of value.
Educate to Facilitate a Self-Serve Journey
Just because you create a product configurator and integrate it with your ERP, doesn’t mean your customers won’t need any additional information. You’ll still need to build in educational content and resources throughout the online journey to mimic what the customer would have needed in offline sales channels. Whether that’s CAD files, spec sheets, or info about specific features and options, you want to be sure they have everything they need to self-serve instead of closing out of the configurator and calling your sales department.
Don’t Cut Your Dealers Out
A B2B2C approach can help you reduce mistakes and costs without cutting dealers out. Not only does B2B2C not hurt your dealer relationships, it actually strengthens them. Customers and dealers can configure and purchase through your brand site, and orders are routed directly to the local dealer without errors. Everyone wins: customers get a modern UX, dealers get cleaner leads, and you keep the brand relationship and data.
Complexity doesn’t have to be complicated if the right systems are in place. With the right tools, selling complex, configurable machines online isn’t just possible, it’s profitable.
The truth is, “Click. Customize. Buy” isn’t futuristic. It’s already what your customers expect. The companies that figure this out aren’t just keeping up, they’re winning more customers, protecting their margins, and strengthening dealer relationships in the process.The only question left is whether you’ll deliver it, or whether your competitors will do it first.
If you’re ready to see how this approach could work for your business, let’s chat.
