New Nike App Determines User’s Correct Shoe Size By Scanning Feet

Nike, the world’s top sneaker maker will end the pain of choosing the wrong shoe size with a technological solution that scans the user’s feet to choose the right shoe.

Data shows people have been squeezing into smaller shoes or using one that falls off the foot. Nike takes more than 500,000 calls a year at the customer-service line on sizing. Retailers are also under stress as return deliveries are set to cost them $550 billion by 2020, say market estimates.

Size matters

So, knowing the right size is the most important thing. “Fit is such a big friction point for our customers,” said Michael Martin, Nike's global head of digital products.

He adds that “we have reached a point of realizing this was not just the biggest problem but a great transformational opportunity that we have. ... No matter how good the shoe is, if the foot doesn't fit well within the shoe, you're not going to get peak performance from it.”

Nike’s solution to the problem is, "Nike Fit", the service it will start in North America by July as a mobile app and in physical stores. The service will be extended to Europe and other international markets from August.

Nike Fit will scan customers' feet and spell out the correct size. Nike Fit is also expected to help the company in multiple ways in terms of direct to consumer sale, branding and soft marketing vis a vis Adidas, Under Armour and other competitors.

Nike is targeting more direct sales via Nike shops, website and mobile app, reducing the dependence on wholesale partners. The brand also plans to increase the number of specialty stores like the House of Innovation in New York and Nike Live in Los Angeles.

How does Nike Fit work?

Nike Fit will take charge of a customer’s feet when he or she opens the Nike app, for selecting a shoe for purchase.

Instead of offering a numerical size the shopper will have to let a scan on his or her foot using a smartphone.

The scan, lasting less than 15 seconds will make Nike Fit recommend the best size for that particular shoe. The Information will be so precise and the width will be measured down to the last millimeter. In physical stores, the foot scanning will be done by a sales associate.

Nike sees itself as a tech company

According to Martin, the innovation on shoe sizing has made Nike a tech company.

“Fundamentally, at this stage, Nike is a technology company that builds upon its historical strengths in footwear design, storytelling and inspiration, and using those to solve problems that no one else can solve.”

Nike Fit uses a combination of computer vision, data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and algorithms to determine the right fit.

During the testing of Nike Fit in Seattle, Pasadena, California, and Dallas, according to Martin, conversion rates increased. Most people who used Nike Fit to assess their right size left the store with a bag in their hands.