What separates the provider types?
Rather than mapping the market by company name, it is more useful to split it into three types by business model, because pricing structure, delivery time and ownership terms follow from the type itself.
| Provider type | Strength | Weakness | Typical cost structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| SaaS configurator platform | Fast setup, ready-made interface | Model production usually not included; the setup does not move if you leave the platform | Monthly/annual licence + per-model setup |
| End-to-end 3D studio | CAD to model to integration from one source; category-specific optimization | Requires a scoping process | Project based + per model |
| 3D unit of a general digital agency | Easy to run inside an existing agency relationship | Depth on 3D optimization and AR formats varies | Agency hourly rate |
| In-house team | Full control, lower unit cost long term | Hiring and tooling investment; expensive at low volume | Fixed headcount cost |
GlareAR sits in the second row: an end-to-end 3D studio working from CAD data through to integration.
What should you ask a provider?
- Who owns the 3D models? Are source files handed over when the contract ends?
- Which formats are delivered? Are glTF/GLB and USDZ both provided, or only a platform-specific format?
- Do the models work independently of the platform, or only inside the provider's viewer?
- What is the polygon and file size budget? Is there a target measured on mobile?
- If no CAD data exists, how is production done and where does dimensional accuracy come from?
- Is adding a variant new model work, or is it solved at the material layer?
- Has the provider integrated with your e-commerce platform before (Ticimax, İdeasoft, İkas, Shopify)?
- How will conversion impact be measured? Is viewer interaction tagged as an analytics event?
The first three questions matter most. Model ownership and format independence determine whether your investment is portable if you need to change providers.
Which criteria are specific to the Turkish market?
115,43 milyar USD
Turkey's e-commerce volume, up roughly fourfold in six years from 23.94 billion USD in 2019
Source: Ticimax e-ticaret verileri (2025)
- Local platform experience: Ticimax, İdeasoft and İkas do not offer native 3D media support the way Shopify does, so integration is built at template level. Provider experience on these platforms directly affects setup time.
- Mobile-heavy traffic: the high mobile share in Turkish e-commerce makes the file size budget more critical than in desktop-heavy markets.
- Turkish-language content and support: working directly in Turkish with the product team makes a practical difference in getting variant rules right.