Garden gazebo configurator: preparing the implementation before the season
A guide for joinery workshops and manufacturers of gazebos, pergolas and shelters who want to launch a garden gazebo configurator on their own website. We describe when to start the project, what materials to prepare, how to turn a price list into rules, when to ask the customer for contact details and what happens to the enquiry next.
When to launch a garden gazebo configurator
Gazebo season runs from May to August, and manufacturers’ lead times then reach 6–10 weeks. Customers compare offers before they order, so the configurator should be live before the peak, not during it. We deliver the MVP in about 4 weeks, but you need to add time on your side: gathering prices and photos, and approving the content.
The safest option is to start the project in winter. That leaves time for fixes after the first enquiries, before traffic picks up. A project started in May usually goes live mid-season, when the team has the least time for testing and every price list error costs real orders.
What materials to prepare
- A list of the shapes and sizes you actually make: square, rectangle, hexagon, octagon or your own.
- Photos or scans of the wood finishes, taken in the same light. The demo has six, from natural pine to graphite and white.
- Roof and wall types with their surcharges.
- Foundation options and their limitations.
- Extra equipment, for example lighting, flooring or a barbecue.
- Photos of completed projects to appear in the summary and in the PDF quote.
Photos of the finishes matter more than it seems. In the demo above, the wood finish instantly covers the whole 3D model, so it largely shapes the first impression. If the samples were photographed in different light, the differences between the colours on screen won’t match what the customer will see in the garden.
The prices in the demo are indicative market averages, not a specific company’s price list. In your own implementation, the configurator calculates only from your rates, so it’s worth putting them in order before work on the interface begins. If the price list exists only in the owner’s head, the first step is to write it down in a spreadsheet.
How to turn a gazebo price list into rules
Gazebo price lists are rarely a single table. Some surcharges are fixed, some grow with the area and some depend on the shape. Before implementation, it’s worth assigning each item to one type, because that determines how the configurator will calculate it.
| Item type | Example | How the configurator calculates it |
|---|---|---|
| Base price | shape and size | amount from a shape × size table |
| Area-based surcharge | roof covering, flooring | rate per m² of the chosen size |
| Fixed surcharge | barbecue, LED lighting | one amount regardless of size |
| Compatibility rule | an outdoor kitchen with barbecue requires porcelain tiles | option blocked or choice changed automatically |
| Individual quote | non-standard shape, difficult access | a path to contact a sales rep |
The compatibility rules work in the demo: the outdoor kitchen with barbecue only stands on porcelain tiles, sliding glass needs a floor, and linen curtains don’t hang next to the barbecue. In the same way, it’s worth recording every combination you don’t make, instead of explaining it to customers by email. Each such rule means one question fewer in a sales rep’s inbox.
After launch, your team should change prices and options in the CMS panel, without involving a developer. This applies especially to seasonal promotions and timber price changes during the year. A garden gazebo configurator with an outdated price list does more harm than having none, because the customer remembers the amount they saw on screen.
When to ask for an email address
The demo shows the price and the full summary without sign-up and asks for an email address only when the configuration is sent. The alternative is an email gate before the full summary: it collects more contacts, but some customers drop out at exactly this point.
The choice depends on where the bottleneck is. If your sales reps have too few conversations, the gate helps. If they are drowning in “how much does it cost” questions, it’s better to show the price freely and collect contacts only from customers who have made up their minds. In the first season, it’s worth testing both versions and comparing how many end in a contract, not just how many leave an address.
Whichever variant you choose, it helps if a configuration can be saved as a link. A gazebo is usually chosen by the whole family, so someone sends a variant to someone else, and the decision is made a few days later.
One engine for gazebos, pergolas and shelters
A gazebo manufacturer often also offers pergolas, shelters, tool sheds or patio covers. The configurator engine is shared; what changes is the catalogue, the rules and the visualisation. The first product builds the structure, and the next ones are added as new catalogue profiles, without building from scratch. It’s convenient for the customer too: someone fitting out their plot often buys several things at once, for example a gazebo and a log store. One configurator with several products lets them place such an order in a single enquiry, with one delivery charge and one installation date.
A 3D model as in the demo above extends a gazebo implementation by 1–2 weeks compared with 2D cards, but the customer can rotate the gazebo, zoom in on its parts and see every change in the garden. For products whose appearance depends heavily on the structure, it pays off; with a simple catalogue, a sensible approach is to start with 2D and add 3D where customers clearly ask what the product looks like from different sides.
What happens to the enquiry
A lead from the configurator contains the dimensions, roof, wood finish, walls, floor, equipment and amount. So that it doesn’t go cold in an inbox, it should land in the CRM as a customer record and be assigned to a sales rep straight away. The customer, in turn, should receive a confirmation with a summary, so they know the enquiry has arrived.
At the height of the season, when the backlog runs to several weeks, it’s worth showing an indicative lead time, or at least a note that a sales rep will confirm it. A customer planning a gazebo for a specific date will ask about it anyway. It’s better that they get the answer straight away, before they send the same question to the next company.
You can see what a 3D preview of a garden structure looks like in the 3D conservatory configurator and the 3D carport configurator, and we describe passing enquiries to a CRM in our ERP and CRM integration service.