With the arrival of summer, many of us are looking forward to warmer weather, getting back into shape, and spending time outdoors. This seasonal transition often includes shifting from gym workouts to outdoor runs, ramping up regular walks, and enjoying tennis, golf and other sports. You may be thinking about new workout wear, improving your conditioning and eyeing that 5K tune-up race to spark your summer running regimen. Spring is also a popular time to assess your athletic footwear and, if needed, buy new shoes. But even the best brand of performance footwear is no guarantee you’ll experience an ideal fit, especially when buying shoes online or off-the-shelf at sporting goods stores.
Most Accurate Footwear Fit Technology
Finding the right fit doesn’t have to be a game of chance, thanks to the increasing popularity of advanced measurement technology.
As the global leader in 3D foot-scanning technology, Volumental uses AI, digital imaging and machine learning to provide the most accurate footwear fitting experience for consumers.
The company offers a unique FitTech™ platform that uses a retail scanner to measure 12 dimensions of a shopper’s feet in just five seconds. The system then creates a profile so store associates can match shoe options with the precise dimensions of a shopper’s feet to deliver an ideal fit, both in-store and through an online mobile widget. The platform is powered by the AI-driven Fit Engine™, which is used by hundreds of retailers and brands globally.
Volumental technology has been used to scan more than 40 million feet at more than 3,000 stores across multiple footwear categories. Its customers include New Balance, Fleet Feet, Red Wing Shoes, The Athlete’s Foot, and Stride Rite, among others.
Here are two retailers that collaborated with Volumental to ensure the perfect footwear fit for their customers.
Fleet Feet: Right Shoe for Right Shopper
Specialty footwear retailer Fleet Feet turned to Volumental to install its 3D foot scanners across Fleet Feet’s entire network of retail stores to better understand customer sizing. Its Fit ID™ outfitting process, powered by Volumental’s technology, helps match the right shoe style and size to the right shopper and also improve the fit of the insoles they offer.
More than Five Million Scans
Fleet Feet has collected biometric data from more than five million shoppers that have used the scanners in-store. A keen insight was learning that more than 20 percent of its customers have at least a half-size difference between each foot. Fleet Feet also learned that women, more so than men, require a shoe that is more narrow or wider than the average width shoe. Having access to these insights helps Fleet Feet make smarter decisions about which lines and sizes to stock, and helps store clerks create unbeatable experiences for customers.
The retailer personalized footwear buying further by folding into a dynamic pressure mapping system from insole maker, Superfeet, to create personalized 3D-printed insoles. The insoles match the arch and heel contours of each user to better respond to the various ways the foot moves.
Fleet Feet shoppers undergo a 3D scan and dynamic pressure mapping of their feet. Store outfitters then review scan data on an iPad with customers. This one-two combination allows customers to see their feet in entirely new ways, building trust and credibility with the specialty retailer.
The Athlete’s Foot Scans Take Off
Retail chain The Athlete’s Foot (TAF) operates online and through 145 franchised stores in Australia and New Zealand. It is Australia’s largest specialty athletic and lifestyle footwear retailer.
To fuel continued growth, TAF wanted a fast, integrated technology to enhance their fitting process and customer experience. An early user of customer-facing technology, the retailer prided itself on its fitting capabilities, but wanted to elevate customer fit further.
TAF turned to Volumental and its 3D in-store scanner, which it integrated into its fitting process to gather more customer data and increase rewards membership. The 3D foot scans provide store staff with the tools to explain fit to shoppers. Customers entering TAF’s 145 stores use the 3D scanner to understand which shoes will best fit their unique foot shape.
TAF has now scanned more than two million shoppers at its stores and has accelerated the role of technology in how it goes to market. Its collaboration with Volumental has helped TAF gain recognition as a provider of exceptional in-store customer service and fitting technology.
Analytics and metrics are everywhere these days. Why not apply the same level of diligence and rigor to ensuring this year’s performance footwear purchase gives you the best fit yet? There’s never been a better time to enjoy your summer of fit.