Stokke sell over 120 variations of the Tripp Trapp chair. The chairs also come with a range of ancillary items. Add to that a pram range, with 30+ variants, plus high chairs and Stokke have more than 200 products to sell.
Stokke wanted an innovative, immersive service giving prospective buyers the ability to build the chair or pram of their choice. The resulting unique product could be sold online, either directly, or by partner retailers.
The result of such customisation would improve online sales, as well as provide production and inventory benefits.
The project, to develop a chair configurator, was the result of considerable analysis at the Norwegian headquarters of Stokke. This then expanded to encompass more products
The objectives were both internal and external;
Reduce annual photographic expenditure
Support partners/retailers through innovative presentation
Provide a platform for immediate, global roll out of new product option, both direct and to retail partners
Provide a partner selling tool putting the Stokke customisable products at the top of the options list for new parents.
Finding a solution to image reality, complete product choice and the ordering of fixtures and fittings led to the development of the Configurator.
The Photography argument
An annual photoshoot has a range of direct and indirect costs. The hidden costs include the management time to plan and manage a shoot. External costs include photographers, sets, retouch artists and stock items. Once complete, there is little latitude to change the range for a period of time due to the considerable expense for, say, a couple of new chairs or new cushion suppliers.
A project focused on :
Presenting all aspects of the product in perfect detail
Allowing the exploration of photorealistic layouts
Create a product ordering system that:
provided more choice than a manual method
provided flexibility to change ranges quickly
saved costs in samples, production and construction
adaptable to an affiliate scenario to support distributor partners
Project Approach
Stage 1: Requirements
Our first step was to work with the client to establish the project specification.
Creation of a database of every configurable option
A detailed cost analysis for the benefits of the project
An audit of the buying process
Audit of all existing software and imagery
The process involved liaison with a number of departments in addition to the auditing of existing assets, databases and processes. A methodology for the structure of the database was created to ensure an efficient process for enabling future new products.
Stage 2: Proof of concept
The supporting products, from seats to padding, colours and straps were all created within the system. Once built, the shadows and textures were added to ensure realism was paramount. In addition, the product database feeds were created, to accommodate changes to products, prices and availability.
Stage 3; production
The base products were rendered in 3d format, with the necessary variations in colours and additional fixtures. The development of tracking for the affiliate promotion was a key element of the project.
Lectus urna duis convallis convallis tellus. Metus dictum at tempor commodo ullamcorper a. Potenti nullam ac tortor vitae purus faucibus. Massa ultricies mi quis hendrerit dolor magna eget.
The Photography argument
