Shoe shopping is getting a much-needed upgrade with the rise of footwear-fitting apps that streamline the process of finding the right size every time.
While 3-D foot scanning might work for some instances, apps like Jenzy and Find Me a Shoe require just a smartphone and a piece of standard-sized printer paper to capture foot measurements quickly and then match up consumers with appropriate styles.
The goal? To help shoppers navigate e-commerce shoe sites with the confidence that they’re selecting the most accurate size—without the need to purchase multiples and return the ones that miss the mark.
Jenzy Focuses on the Littlest Feet
Children’s shoes are attracting their share of attention. Jenzy’s app focuses exclusively on the six-and-under demographic for the benefit of parents who are buying shoes for feet that typically shoot out a half size every few months.
Co-founders Eve Ackerley and Carolyn Horner described the challenge of getting youngsters to sit still in store for a sit-and-fit session as the impetus behind their innovation. With the app, users take just two photos of youngsters’ feet, which Jenzy’s technology then uses to calculate the appropriate size and matches up with curated shoe styles from brand partners like morgan&milo and See Kai Run.
DSW Integrates True Fit Kids Online
Just in time for back to school, footwear power player DSW officially completed the rollout of its children’s offering nationwide after testing the market in recent years. “When you’re buying for your child, you never quite know how to get a perfect fit,” said DSW COO Michele Love.
That’s why the company integrated True Fit Kids technology, which offers sizing recommendations on shoes ranging from 4C to 7Y, into its website. In store, DSW said it’s training associates to be knowledgeable about the nuances of find the right footwear to fit small, growing feet.