How Centro Cushions Streamlines Fabric Customization with Conversational Configuration

Centro Cushions, a direct-to-consumer (DTC) startup, provides an immersive custom design experience for consumers, designers, and decorators. They've used Salsita 3D Configurator for over a year, allowing interior designers to tailor-make pillows and cushions online. 

To enhance the shopping experience even further, Centro has recently integrated the AI design assistant Fabrizio into their 3D configurator. By simply chatting with Fabrizio, users can receive fabric recommendations based on in-depth product knowledge.

A Need to Refine Product Customization

Providing customization options for your products is great. But what if shoppers feel overwhelmed by the amount of choices and struggle to decide? That's where conversational configuration comes in. While a 3D configurator lets users personalize a product and see all the options in 3D, it doesn't give real-time recommendations. This led Yanni, Business Owner at Centro Cushions, to opt for Salsita Conversational Configurator. Adding an AI design assistant to Centro’s 3D configurator makes it more intuitive for users to find their perfect fabric.

“With so many fabrics listed in our configurator, we needed to find a way to help clients meaningfully engage and search through our catalog. When it comes to interior design, having a knowledgeable assistant who can help you understand the various options you have is extremely helpful. Fabrizio, our AI assistant, does just that.” Yanni Konstantinidis, Business Owner, Centro Cushions. 

A Seamless and Fast Implementation

Salsita developed the AI design assistant for Centro Cushions very smoothly, as Yanni pointed out: “The implementation was seamless. Salsita took one video call to better understand the challenge we were facing, another video call to propose a framework, and before we knew it, Fabrizio was up and running!”

“At Salsita, we're always searching for the best use cases to apply our state-of-the-art technology. Centro was a natural fit because of the assistance our AI could offer to their users. Working closely with Yanni, we designed, planned, and named the solution. Our talented tech team at Salsita not only delivered quickly but also ensured the highest quality." Dave Ruzius, Product Lead for Salsita Configurators.

Much More Than Just Another Chatbot

In order to feed the AI assistant with product knowledge, Salsita uses ChatGPT-4 as the underlying LLM (Large Language Model). The team internally fed the AI’s prompt with a list of all available filters, and asked it to help the user select the best filters for their needs. To help ensure the expected behavior, they also provided the AI assistant with examples of conversations.

This creates a much more accurate and intuitive experience than with a simple chatbot, as Dani Lopez, Full-Stack Tech Lead at Salsita, pointed out: “This is one of the strengths of LLMs: They are able to understand natural language and translate it into a specific format. The user doesn’t need to use any specific phrasing either; the AI will be able to hold a conversation, ask for clarification if needed, and answer open-ended questions from users.”

A Win-Win for Centro Cushions and Its Users

Fabrizio, Centro’s AI design assistant, leverages its extensive product knowledge to provide tailored fabric recommendations and engage users with interactive questions. If users are uncertain, Fabrizio will inquire about the preferred color, pattern, or material, as well as suitability for outdoor use. This personalized approach not only eases the customization experience for users but also minimizes email back-and-forth with the staff. As a result, it saves time, cuts costs, and enhances lead quality.

“Now our clients can search through our fabric catalog and find the perfect materials to fit their specific use case. This allows our team to save time while also enabling clients to receive valuable assistance and guidance in real-time!” Yanni Konstantinidis, Business Owner, Centro Cushions. 

Do you want to enhance your customers’ shopping experience with a Conversational Configurator like Centro Cushions?