Red Wing Shoe Company, Inc., a global leader in the design, production and distribution of safety and lifestyle footwear and work apparel, is well known for its best-fitting work boots that reduce fatigue and protect feet. The company wanted to build on this heritage and take the footwear shopping and size fitting experience it provides customers to the next level.
Red Wing turned to Volumental, a global provider of 3D foot scanning technology, to advance Red Wing’s Ultimate Fit Experience, which is only available in the retailer’s 500-plus retail stores. This experience provides the most customizable, premium and efficient retail experience in the work and lifestyle boot category.
Red Wing’s new in-store capability uses Volumental’s state-of-the-art foot scanning technology. Customers step onto a 3D scanner that provides sixteen foot measurements in less than five seconds. They then walk across a Superfeet pressure plate for a dynamic foot scan, which provides a visualization of their gait and pressure points.
In the new Ultimate Fit Experience, a Red Wing Certified Fit Specialist can help customers create a customized foot system (boot, insole and sock) that begins with a personal assessment of their work environment conditions and safety needs.
“Our previous experience focused on standard 2D measurement and foot pressure points, and now we are enhancing that, adding in gait assessment and whole foot volume 3D measurement,” said Mike VanGoethem, vice president and chief services officer at Red Wing Shoe Company. “We’re excited to merge the art of our purpose-built shoes with the science of this new dynamic, tech-driven approach to ensure the best fit for worker comfort and safety.”
The customized technology creates a digital 3D model of a customer’s feet to recommend an ideal work boot size and any additional foot support with pinpoint accuracy. Data from a shopper’s personal assessment and foot scan is combined with retail purchase data and custom AI-driven technology to provide tailored recommendations across Red Wing’s catalog of footwear styles.
In addition, Red Wing has partnered with premium insole maker Superfeet so stores can offer insole recommendations and the ability to purchase custom 3D-printed footbeds designed and printed for their unique foot shape and movement patterns. The footbeds are mailed direct to customers. Custom footbeds help reduce foot fatigue with improved arch support, flex zones and flex lines to enhance natural motion and help feet move more efficiently.
Red Wing reports that its customers who have a better understanding of factors such as sizing, arch height and foot pressure distribution are more inclined to make purchases based on this information.
When a customer makes their next Red Wing boot purchase, their relevant information including personal profile, work requirements and fit history is easily accessible across the retailer’s store ecosystem, to help match the shopper and perfect fitting boot each time. This advanced fit experience inspires shoppers and instills confidence in their work boot purchase.
More detail about Red Wing's Ultimate Fit Experience is available here. A list of Red Wing retailers can be found at www.redwingshoes.com/stores.