bCommerce: Rapid 15‑Minute 3D Configurator and Price Quote for B2B Manufacturers

Leveraging CPQ (Configure‑Price‑Quote) technology—an evolution of IIoT and Industry 4.0—bCommerce transforms e‑commerce for B2B buyers. Manufacturers now provide a 3‑D visual configurator that runs directly in the customer’s web browser, allowing real‑time selections to be passed to sales representatives.

As Zac Cooper of Atlatl Software explains, this approach delivers measurable time savings. The configuration data is stored in Atlatl’s QuoteBooks Cloud, enabling sales teams to respond swiftly and giving distributors a seamless portal experience.

Nearly all B2B procurement officers say a supplier’s online portal is a decisive factor when choosing a partner. bCommerce’s detailed product content boosts buyer confidence and drives procurement decisions.

15‑Minute Product Build & Price Quote

Traditionally, a product design concept can take weeks of back‑and‑forth between the customer, sales, and engineering. With bCommerce, a customer or salesperson can build a model on the OEM’s website and receive a price quote within 15 minutes. Sales teams can then follow up instantly or share the quote in real time, cutting the sales cycle and acquisition costs.

Atlatl Software’s CAD‑agnostic platform links 3‑D configurations directly to any CAD environment—SolidWorks, Creo, Revit, or OnShape—ensuring that once a quote and purchase order are finalized, the model is forwarded to engineers, closing the loop between sales and production.

The engineering time saved is a key metric that drives demand for bCommerce. In engineered‑to‑order markets, the ability to calculate countless design permutations quickly enables a consultative sales model.

Research shows that the ROI for bCommerce can be four times higher than traditional solutions that lack automation and cost‑reduction capabilities across sales, engineering, and bidding.

bCommerce in Action

bCommerce empowers manufacturers to define product artwork and configuration rules, creating an interactive experience for sales channels. Leads captured through the manufacturer’s Atlatl QuoteBooks Cloud are routed to the sales team, or manufacturers can provide resellers with direct customer interfaces that generate leads internally.

The solution’s user interface is fully branded, ensuring a consistent B2B experience. Built on Unity, the platform supports 3‑D and 2‑D simulations across desktops, laptops, mobile devices, smart TVs, and consoles. Unity’s advanced rendering features—texture compression, mipmaps, ambient occlusion, and compute shaders—enable high‑quality visualizations on every platform.

By continuously reducing overhead, bCommerce maximizes profitability while delivering actionable real‑time IIoT value.

Time Saved = Increased Profitability

The consumer‑driven buying process demands that every interaction be worthwhile for engineers, sales, and procurement. bCommerce aligns with Industry 4.0 principles—active listening, advanced questioning, flexible negotiation, virtual presentations, rapid ROI analysis, and social selling—enhancing engagement across the enterprise.

Even manufacturers traditionally slow to adopt enterprise tech find bCommerce compelling. With record‑low unemployment, keeping engineers, purchasing agents, and sales teams productive and satisfied with technology becomes a strategic advantage.

The author of this blog is Zac Cooper of Atlatl Software