DSW might rent out shoes

Columbus-based discount shoe purveyor DSW says it wants to give its customers what they want, which is how the chain has arrived at this: shoe rentals.

The retailer announced recently that it is considering adding a rental service, plus shoe repair and storage facilities, to some of its 511 shoe-and-accessories stores. The experiments are part of a broader effort by DSW, which stands for Designer Shoe Warehouse, to get more customers into its stores.

“Today’s customer craves more than just a transaction; they want an experience,” Michele Love, the company’s chief operating office, said in a statement.

Retailers around the country are racing to add services that might keep customers returning to their stores, where people are more likely to make impulse purchases — and spend more — than online.

At DSW, executives say the idea is to create a one-stop shop where customers can buy everyday footwear, stash items that are out of season — and yes, rent shoes.

“This is something we’ve had a lot of customers ask us for, particularly with special-occasion shoes,” said Christina Cheng, a spokeswoman for DSW. “When it comes to prom or a wedding or a special event, people are usually looking for a very specific shoe in a particular color, that matches a particular dress, that they probably won’t ever wear again.”

Industry experts wonder whether people will be willing to wear someone else’s opentoed high heels at a wedding.

“It’s good to think outside the shoe box, but this is taking the shared economy to a new extreme,” said Milton Pedraza, chief executive of the Luxury Institute, a New York-based retail consultancy. “Shoes are such a personal item — you’ve got to worry about fit, style, so many things — that I don’t think it’s necessarily something people want to share with strangers.”

There are, however, a number of other rental models for apparel and accessories that have worked: Rent the Runway has created a $100 million business offering dresses, gowns and jewelry for short-term wear. Bag, Borrow and Steal has found similar success — and millions in venture capital funding — by renting out designer handbags. Other young companies allow you to rent watches, earrings, necklaces and even custom wigs.

The larger challenge for DSW, analysts said, is getting customers to buy and return items at its stores. Online shopping has become a particular problem for shoe retailers, which often struggle with high return rates.