Swivelling spout, flush display and a choice of water tank: this illustrative bean-to-cup machine is configured in two steps, finish first and tank size second.
Bean-to-cup machines serve two markets that rarely overlap: households who want coffee at the touch of a button, and small offices that need one machine for a team. The home buyer weighs finish, footprint and noise. The office buyer weighs cups per day, tank size, cleaning routines and who will look after the machine. One configurator can serve both, provided it asks who is buying before it asks anything else.
Coffee Configurator demo
Bean-to-Cup Machine
- Product
- Bean-to-Cup Machine
- Colour
- Brushed Silver
- Water Tank
- 2.4 L
Illustrative product. The design and images are generated examples, not a real model for sale.
What you can configure
Brushed silver, gloss black, champagne and graphite are the four finishes on screen, with the spout and display in the same position each time. The water tank option is 2.4 L or 3 L. For many households the smaller tank is enough. For an office or a busy family, the larger tank means fewer refills between meetings. The tank choice is captured in the summary; the image does not change with it.
- Colour: Brushed Silver, Gloss Black, Champagne, Graphite
- Water Tank: 2.4 L, 3 L
Why a configurator suits coffee machines
Office sales are quote-led. A facilities manager wants a price for several machines, delivery to more than one site, and possibly a service plan or lease. A configurator that records finish, tank, quantity and site addresses gives the supplier a complete brief instead of a two-line email asking for a price.
Home buyers need something different: confidence that a large automatic machine will look right. Champagne and bronze finishes are aimed at kitchens where appliances are on show, and buyers want to see them against stone, oak and tile. With only two tank sizes, every finish can be shown properly, in context, rather than as a swatch beside a silver hero image.
Splitting the flow by buyer type also cleans up reporting. The retailer can see how many configured builds come from offices and how many from homes, which finishes each group prefers and which leads need a service plan. That shapes everything from stock levels to the wording on the product page.
How a production version would be built
An image-based configurator with a whole-image swap per finish is enough here. On many machines in this category the tank sits at the side or rear, so a tank layer is only needed if it shows. I would add a scale view of the machine under a standard wall cabinet, since height is a common question. Behind it sit finish SKUs, tank options, dimensions and office extras such as service plans, all of it clean configurator product data. Home orders go to the Shopify basket, and office enquiries go to the CRM as quotes with quantity and sites attached.
Build sheet for this range
- Colours in the full range: 6 (4 shown in this demo)
- Water Tank choices: 2
- Combinations to support: 6 × 2 = 12
- Images for one photograph per combination at 3 angles: 36
- Images if tank sizes can be shown as separate layers, at 3 angles: 24
- Data each of the 12 combinations needs: a SKU or variant ID, price, stock or lead time, and any dimensions or specification that change
Questions about coffee machine configurators
Can one configurator handle both home buyers and office buyers?
Yes. A first question asks who the machine is for. Home buyers see finish, tank and a basket button. Office buyers see quantity, site details and service options, and submit a quote request. The images and product data are shared, so there is only one configurator to maintain.
Can a facilities manager order machines for several sites?
Yes. Each line holds a finish, tank size and delivery site, and the request lists them together. The supplier receives one structured enquiry rather than several emails. If installation or a service plan is needed per site, that becomes an option on each line of the request.
How do we show whether the machine fits under wall cabinets?
Show a scale view with the machine under a cabinet at standard height, and list the height needed with the lid open for filling beans. A simple input can ask for the clearance available and confirm the fit. The figures must come from the manufacturer for each tank option.
Can champagne and bronze finishes be shown accurately?
As closely as a screen allows. Warm metallic finishes shift with lighting, so I match images to physical samples and keep lighting identical across finishes. A close-up of the brushed texture alongside the full view lets buyers see both tone and surface, which matters on a large front panel.
More coffee equipment configurator demos
Bench Coffee Centre
Burr Espresso Machine
Compact Bean-to-Cup
Conical Burr Grinder
Espresso Grinder Combo
Filter Coffee Maker
All coffee machine configurator demos
A configurator for your coffee machines
This demo uses an illustrative product. If you sell coffee machines, I can build the same experience around your own range, photography and ordering process, connected to Shopify, WooCommerce or a quote workflow. I reply to enquiries within two UK working days.