HOW FOOTWEAR TECH HELPS TO FIND THE RIGHT FIT

Shoe shopping is getting a muchneeded 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 in some instances, apps like Jenzy and Find Me a Shoe require a smartphone and a piece of standard-size 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 6-andunder 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 keep 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 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 FOR KIDS ONLINE

Just in time for back-to-school, footwear retail giant DSW has 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 more knowledgeable about the nuances of footwear suited for small, growing feet.