The configurator that outsold the catalog
How a UK access control manufacturer turned 100+ catalog variations into one tool, and made it their best-performing product line at launch.
The client
A UK manufacturer of pedestals, posts, and mounting hardware for access control systems. Like most companies in their space, they sold through a network of distributors and installers, with a catalog that had grown to over 100 variations: three product lines, five heights, two top shapes, multiple fixing styles, and any RAL color a project called for.
The problem
Every order started with an email or a phone call. Distributors and installers would describe what they needed, usually incompletely: a height without a fixing style, a color name instead of a RAL code, a device count that didn't match the top plate. The sales team spent its days translating rough requests into buildable specs, and every missing detail added another day before the quote could go out.
The catalog technically had all the answers. Nobody could navigate it.
What we built
A visual configurator covering the full pedestal range. Buyers walk through every decision in order, with a live preview updating at every step:
- Product line, height, top shape, device count, fixing style, and color: every decision in order, with a live preview at each step.
- RAL colors searchable by code or name.
- Incompatible combinations never appear. An incomplete request can't be submitted.
- A rendered preview of the exact configuration, submitted as a complete, buildable spec.
At the end, the buyer gets a rendered preview of their exact configuration and submits a complete spec. The manufacturer's team receives it ready to quote: every field present, every combination valid.
It didn't just save time — it sold
Most configurators are pitched as an internal efficiency: fewer emails, faster quotes, less rework. This one did all of that, but the surprise was on the revenue side. Being the first in the industry to let a distributor spec a pedestal online, see it, and submit it in one sitting turned the tool itself into a reason to buy.
Within the launch period it became the client's best-performing product line — not a line they retooled, the same catalog, now navigable. The sales team stopped treating it as a back-office aid and started leading demos with it. The lesson we carry into every build since: a good configurator isn't a cost the sales team absorbs, it's a channel they open.
The tool they built to save the sales team time became the best-selling product line they had.
Try it yourself
This one isn't a mockup. The configurator is live. Explore it right here, or open it full-screen.
What changed
Best-selling
product line at launch
The configurator became the client's best-performing product line from the first day it went live.
100+
variations, one tool
Three product lines, five heights, two top shapes, multiple fixing styles, any RAL color, now handled by a single tool across their distributor network.
1st
in their industry
The first manufacturer in access control to offer full online configuration. A story their sales team now leads with, not just a tool they use.
Questions, answered
What products can an access control configurator handle?
Bollards, posts, pedestals, and mounting hardware across multiple product lines — with height, top shape, device count, fixing style, and any RAL color. The rules engine only shows combinations the manufacturer actually builds, so a buyer can't spec something the factory can't make.
Can distributors and installers use it themselves?
Yes — it's built for the distributor and installer channel. Instead of emailing a rough description (a height without a fixing style, a color name instead of a RAL code), they configure the exact product and every request arrives complete and buildable.
How fast can a configurator like this go live?
This one covered the full pedestal range in weeks, not quarters. We build a free working concept of your own product in about a week, then a production configurator typically ships in 4–5 weeks — a fraction of the six-figure, multi-month timelines of enterprise CPQ platforms.
Will it fit how we already quote?
Every configuration submits as a complete, structured spec with a generated part number and spec sheet, ready for your existing quote process. Dealer accounts, pricing logic, and ERP/CRM integration can be added when you need them.
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