Product visualization in configurators: Laying the foundations for a comparative description

Visualization plays a critical role in the purchasing process, particularly for customized products, as it improves customer engagement and decision-making. Despite the importance of product configurators in presenting customized products, there is limited research on the characteristics of visualization modes that configurators employ. This study aims to address this gap by developing an evaluation framework consisting of 11 descriptive variables: embodiment, presence, interactivity, authenticity, realism, media richness, avatar similarity, functional control, visual control, interaction richness, and vividness. Each variable of the framework is defined and exemplified by practical examples. These variables, derived from the literature on e-commerce and customer experience, offer a structured framework to describe and compare product visualization modes in configurators.