The Athlete’s Foot (TAF) is a retail chain owned by the Accent Group Limited, a leading digitally integrated retail distribution business in the footwear and apparel performance and lifestyle sectors in Australia and New Zealand.
Accent Group Limited’s operations total more than 700 stores, 33 brands and more than 35 online platforms. The entity also holds exclusive distribution rights for 14 international brands across Australia and New Zealand.
The Athlete’s Foot operates online and through 145 stores franchised across Australia and New Zealand. TAF is Australia’s largest specialty athletic and lifestyle footwear retailer. The business was launched in South Australia in 1976 and established under license in 1981.
Since its formation, TAF has achieved exponential growth. To maintain its growth track, the retailer wanted a fast, integrated technology to enhance their existing fitting process and customer service experience. The retailer was an early user of technology and prided itself on its fitting capabilities and in-store experience for customers. The challenge was how to take the next step in the customer fit experience.
The solution TAF chose was Volumental’s 3D in-store retail scanner which the retailer integrated into their fitting process to digitize customer data collection and increase their MyFit Rewards membership base. The technology meshes smoothly with TAF’s in-store fitting process. The 3D foot scans enhance the existing video gait analysis solution by providing store staff with the tools to clearly and confidently explain fit to their shoppers.
Each shopper who enters a TAF store is offered the chance to use the Volumental 3D foot scanner to help the customer understand which shoes will best fit their unique foot shape. TAF utilizes this technology across its 145 retail stores.
Steve Cohen, Group CEO, TAF explains that the retailer was an early adopter of technology, having used it in their stores since 2000. But he admits that before they discovered Volumental, “it’s been a clunky journey. Since working with Volumental, our speed in which we work with technology has been lightning fast, and it has changed the way we go to market and we can quickly adapt now."
TAF has scanned over two million shoppers across its stores. An extraordinary 92 percent of these customers ultimately made a purchase. The retailer raised its Net Promoter Score (NPS) from 84 to 86, according to a March 2021 report.
Thanks to its collaboration with Volumental, the retailer is now widely recognized for delivering exceptional in-store customer service and world-leading fitting technology, known as MyFit 3D, powered by Volumental.
“Every single customer transaction is driven by Volumental and TAF’s fitting technology. The technology that’s been placed in our stores is outstanding. Our fitting conversion has gone through the roof,” Cohen explained.