by Larry Eder
The RunningWarehouse is one of the most well respected and fastest growing run specialty digital stores in the country. That Joe Rubio, CEO, uses Shoefitr, tells you two things: Shoefitr must be providing great assistance to the consumer and that Joe Rubio rarely misses a beat.
It also gives me a chance to make a point about the conversation with the consumer. Hire a consultant and they will tell you to have a strong digital presence, one must have a conversation with the consumer. But, how do you do that?
Provide unique content is one. Provide it consistently is another. Make your site easy to spend time on is another. But, the most important, is to provide tools that allow a conversation to happen.
For brands, that means, giving the consumer a 24/7 opportunity to have a conversation, at their leisure. Brands like RunningWarehouse do that. Applications like Shoefitr give the consumer more information, and a recommendation on product that fills the needs of the consumer.
Remember, don’t dictate to the consumer, be open to the conversation.
Contact: Nick End FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
properly fitting shoe online is a struggle shoppers have endured for
years; however a new application that shows how a shoe will fit and
recommends the correct size has delighted shoppers, reduced returns, and
helped to increase sales for the retailers that use it. The findings
were pulled from two years of on-going analysis between online running
shoe retailer, Running Warehouse, and Shoefitr, a company that provides
an online shoe fitting solution.
that improves the shopping experience for the customer is a huge bonus.
Shoefitr increases the confidence customers have in ordering a product
correctly, thus making the buying decision easier. It also has helped
decrease our return rate which positively affects our bottom line. It’s
been a very positive addition to our site both from a consumer as well
as an operations standpoint.”
fitting application in June of 2010 when this type of product was new
to the market. The online shoe retailer was attracted to Shoefitr’s
solution as a means to decrease the approximately 65% of all footwear
returns that are related to improper fit. Since implementing Shoefitr,
Running Warehouse’s fit-related returns have fallen by 23% which
resulted in a 2.5% increase in profit margins.
grow with 20% of all Running Warehouse purchases coming from shoppers
who received a fitting recommendation. Running Warehouse also
consistently receives positive feedback on the application, averaging
about 250 messages a month from shoppers like these:
am more confident in the size that I am buying and less likely to have
to return it for a different size or fit.” – Customer purchasing Women’s
New Balance 890
have just compared and found the shoefitr to be accurate.” – Customer
purchasing Women’s Saucony Kinvara 2
is a Pittsburgh, PA based company that creates software to help online
shoe shoppers figure out what size to order. The company uses a database
of internal shoe measurements, acquired using 3D imaging technology, to
compare the size and shape of a shoe a shopper is currently wearing, to
one she wants to buy. Shoefitr works with several companies in the
athletic footwear space and is now moving into the dress/casual and
Women’s footwear markets. Visit http://www.Shoefitr.com to learn more about the benefits of online fitting technology.
