Other10 min read
How an E-bike Configurator Works for Online Bike Shops
An e-bike configurator shows the bike in every frame colour and at full size on your product page. What it does for sales and returns, and what it costs per month.
By CharpstAR · 26 Oct 2026
An e-bike is one of the more expensive things people buy online without seeing it first. It comes in several frame colours, two or three frame sizes and a list of accessories, and the product page usually shows one photo per colour, taken from one side.
A customer who wants the navy frame has to trust a small swatch. A customer who is 160 cm tall wants to know whether the step-through frame fits them, and the geometry table does not tell them that in a way they can picture. Both customers either write to customer service or leave the page without ordering.
An e-bike configurator puts the bike itself on the product page. The customer changes the frame colour on the bike, turns it round, reads how long and how high it is, and sees it at full size in their garage with augmented reality (AR) on their phone.
For a bike sold in colours, a CharpstAR configurator is part of the Value plan, which starts at 20 dollars per model per month for at least 100 models over 24 months. The 3D model, hosting, updates and implementation are included.
Try the bike below.
Bikes
City e-bike
Step-through frame with a mid motor, in five colours.
Pick one of the five frame colours from the tiles and turn the bike to see the motor and the rear rack. Open Dimensions for the length, width and height. On a phone, press the AR button to see the bike at full size in your own hallway.
What Is an E-bike Configurator?
An e-bike configurator is a 3D product configurator for bikes: an interactive 3D model on the product page that the customer can change. They pick the options you sell and the bike updates on screen.
In the bike above, customers can:
- Switch between five frame colours on the same bike
- Turn the bike to see the mid motor, the display, the rear rack and the brakes
- Zoom in on the saddle, the grips and the tyres
- Check the length, width and height
- Place the bike in their own home with AR on a phone
The same kind of configurator can switch accessories on and off, such as a basket, a rear rack, lights or a child seat, so the customer sees the bike as it will arrive. Our city bike demo has a basket, a rear rack and a lock that the customer adds to one model.
Why Use an E-bike Configurator for E-commerce?
Increase Conversion by Showing the Bike in Every Colour
A customer who can see the whole bike in the colour they want, from the side they want, is closer to buying than one looking at a swatch. In the demo, every frame colour is shown on the entire bike, and the customer can turn it to the drive side and back.
Reduce Returns
A returned e-bike costs you the courier booking and the workshop time to check the bike before it can be sold again. When a customer ordered the wrong size, or a colour that looked different in the photo, that cost is yours. When customers can read the size of the bike and see it next to their own front door with AR first, fewer of those orders come back. You can measure it with the return rate in the table below.
Fewer Questions to Customer Service
Questions such as "how long is the bike with the rack?" and "does the sage look green or grey?" are answered on the product page. The customer finds the answer by turning the bike and does not have to write to you.
Lower Photography Costs
One 3D model shows every colour. When you add a colour to the range, we add it to the same model, so there is no new photo shoot for every version. The same model gives you product images and AR for the whole range.
Use Case: A City E-bike in Five Colours
A step-through city e-bike is a good first product for a configurator. It sells in several colours to buyers who are often not bike experts, so their questions are about looks and fit.
How the E-bike Configurator Works
The customer opens the product page and the bike loads in the 3D viewer. Then they:
- Turn the bike with a finger or the mouse
- Tap a colour chip to change the frame
- Zoom in on the motor, the display or the saddle
- Open Dimensions to read the length, the width and the height
- On a phone, press the AR button to see the bike at full size in their own home
All five colours are part of the same 3D model, so the frame changes the moment the customer taps a chip. Parts that are black on the real bike, such as the motor cover and the rack, stay black in every colour.
Frame Sizes and Accessories
Frame sizes are shown as measurements. The Dimensions tab gives the length, the width over the handlebars and the overall height, so a customer can compare the bike with the space they have. Each frame size is a separate 3D model, so a bike sold in three sizes counts as three models on the plan, and the product page shows the size the customer has chosen.
Accessories are parts of the same model that can be switched on and off. A child seat or a lock can be shown on the bike the moment the customer adds it to the order, and the page shows the new price.
How Orders Reach Your Shop
The order goes through your own checkout. It arrives in your shop with the chosen colour, the frame size, the accessories and their option codes, so your warehouse knows which bike to pick and which parts to fit.
You can read how brands use our configurators on their own sites in our case studies.
What the Shop Supplies
To build an e-bike configurator, we need:
- A link to the product page
- The list of colours, frame sizes and accessories as you sell them, with their prices
- Any 3D files, CAD files or drawings you have from the manufacturer (they help, but they are not required)
- Photos of the bike from several sides, and close photos of the paint and the parts
If your manufacturer gives you a CAD file or a 3D model, the build goes faster. If you only have photos and the geometry table, we build the model from those.
You do not need to rebuild your shop or change your checkout.
How to Add an E-bike Configurator to Your Website
Step 1: Send Us a Bike
Send a link to the product page and the list of colours and accessories. You can do it from the configurator page.
Step 2: Get a Plan and a Price
Within a working day, we tell you which kind of configurator the bike needs and what it costs. The first product with colour and material options is free, so you can test it on your own product page before you sign anything.
Step 3: We Build the Model
We build the 3D model in all of its colours, check the measurements against your geometry table and make the AR files for iPhone and Android. A colour configurator is usually live on your product page in about two weeks.
Step 4: Go Live
The configurator goes on your product page as one snippet on Shopify, Shopware, Magento, WooCommerce or a custom-built site, and we help you place it.
How to Measure the Return on an E-bike Configurator
Compare the configured bikes with the figures you already track, before and after:
| KPI | What to measure |
|---|---|
| Conversion rate | Whether the bikes with a configurator convert more visitors into customers |
| Add-to-cart rate | Whether more visitors who open the configurator add the bike to the cart |
| Accessory sales | Whether more orders include an accessory such as a rack or lights |
| Return rate | Whether fewer bikes come back for the wrong size or colour |
| Customer service questions | Whether there are fewer questions about colours, sizes and parts |
| Photography costs | How many photo shoots you no longer need when a colour is added |
Results depend on your bikes, your traffic and your prices, so compare the same models over the same season.
How Much Does an E-bike Configurator Cost?
The cost depends on what the customer can change.
| Kind of product | How it is priced | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| 3D viewer and AR, no options | Basic plan, from 10 dollars per product (SKU) per month, at least 100 variants over 12 months | 3D models, AR and web integration, hosting, updates, implementation |
| Colours and accessories | Value plan, from 20 dollars per model per month, at least 100 models over 24 months | Everything in Basic, plus the colour and texture configurator, custom dimensions, annotations, 5 rendered product images and a 360 render viewer |
| Integrations and large catalogues | Enterprise plan, custom price | Everything in Value, plus custom integrations, a tailored setup and dedicated support |
At the starting price, 100 models on the Value plan come to 2,000 dollars a month. On the Basic and Value plans you can replace up to 30% of your models each year without adding to the count, so new colours and new model years can take the place of old ones.
A range where the customer builds the bike from frames, motors and battery sizes has more rules than a bike in five colours, and we quote it per range. The 3D product configurator cost article explains what goes into that quote.
See all plans on the prices page.
What Changes the Price
- The number of bikes you put in 3D
- Whether the customer changes only the colour, or accessories as well
- How many rules connect the options, such as a child seat that only fits with the rack
- Whether orders have to be handed to an order system or a dealer portal
Is an E-bike Configurator Right for Your Shop?
A configurator may be a strong fit if your bikes:
- Come in several frame colours
- Sell with accessories that change how the bike looks
- Have an order value high enough that each return is a cost you track
- Make customers ask about fit and colour before they buy
- Get a new colour or a new model year every season
If your bikes come in one colour, a 3D viewer with AR on the Basic plan may be enough. Our view in room entry explains what AR on a product page does for a customer who wants to know whether something fits.
Get a Price for Your Own Bike
CharpstAR builds the 3D models, hosts them and puts the configurator on your product page for a monthly price per model.
Send us one bike and we will reply within a working day with what it needs and what it costs. You can also try our other configurator demos.
Questions
What can a customer change in an e-bike configurator?
The frame colour, and any accessory you sell with the bike, such as a basket or a child seat. Each change shows on the bike straight away, and the page shows the price of that bike.
Does the configurator show the size of the bike?
Yes. The Dimensions tab shows the length, the width and the height of the bike, and on a phone the customer can see it at full size in their own home with AR.
How much does an e-bike configurator cost per month?
The Value plan, which covers colours and accessories, starts at 20 dollars per model per month, with a minimum of 100 models over 24 months. A range where the customer builds the bike from frames, motors and batteries gets its own quote.
Do we need 3D files from the manufacturer?
No. A CAD file or a 3D model from the manufacturer makes the build faster, but we can build the model from photos and the geometry table.
Which shop systems does it work with?
Shopify, Shopware, Magento, WooCommerce and custom-built sites all take the configurator as one snippet on the product page, and orders go through your own checkout.
