MillerKnoll Partners with 3D Cloud by Marxent on Product Configuration Solution

August 18, 2022  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

Earlier this year, 3D product configurators built with the app were launched in select Herman Miller retail stores. The configurators are now available via the HermanMiller.com website in the U.S. and are expected to roll out to additional U.S. and international Herman Miller websites over the next 18 months. serving consumers and international markets in mid-2023. 

Interior designers and trade professionals now have the ability to customize iconic designs such as the Aeron chair in real-time and then buy their final configuration online. The apps allow shoppers to visualize every possible combination, get accurate pricing as they design, download images at any stage in the process, and share them with friends and family. 

With the goal of creating a system that was equally beautiful and efficient, MillerKnoll and 3D Cloud worked closely to develop a completely code-free, self-service configurator of product configurators. This approach empowers non-technical contributors to manage, publish, and maintain complex new 3D product configurators with unprecedented speed, reducing the time to market for new product configurators by up to 80 percent.

Once published, the self-service, code-free product configurators provide a high-definition real-time customization experience. It also supports SKU resolution and simplifies maintenance.

"Nearly every product we sell is configurable, all of them are thoughtfully designed, and our material expressions are meticulously curated. People who are shopping Herman Miller furniture expect an exceptional customer experience that is accurate and always up-to-date," said Ben Groom, chief digital officer, MillerKnoll. "We needed a product configuration solution that took all of these elements into consideration and 3D Cloud delivered."

"The ability to create and maintain accurate, beautiful 3D product configuration experiences with ease across the enterprise is meaningful," Groom said. "It brings efficiency and scale to our vision for next-generation customer experiences."

The initial launch includes 8 iconic Herman Miller chairs with hundreds of possible material options and millions of possible configurations. The Aeron chair alone includes four colors, three sizes, and two stool heights. Upholstered chairs can have up to 600 material options.

The configurators include a 3D spin view with full screen and camera controls, data-driven steps and options, and integrated analytics.

Here's how the self-service product configurator works:

• Model: Model and material orders are routed through 3D Cloud
• Track: Model creation is tracked like a pizza delivery for full visibility
• Build: Business rules are applied with a visual user interface
• Publish: New 3D configurator is published to a product page via API

"MillerKnoll is comprised of an iconic family of brands known for delivering the very best in design and product quality," said Beck Besecker, Marxent's CEO and Co-Founder. "It is a leap forward in product configuration technology. Our partnership pushed the limits of what was possible and the result is a scalable solution that reflects the complexity, uniqueness, and beauty of their product range," he said.

"The team at MillerKnoll was exceptional, and the 3D Cloud team equally so. Without them, none of this would have been possible," Besecker said.