Footwear Success Step 1: Finding the Right Fit & Reducing My Return Rate

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6 Steps to Success in Footwear Ecommerce

Step 1

The Challenge

Finding the right fit is hands down the biggest challenge for footwear brands selling online. Per CNBC, 67% of consumers reported dissatisfaction with their online shoe purchases, primarily due to fit and comfort issues. The result is a 35% footwear return rate – 3x higher than general ecommerce, according to Inbound Logistics.

For footwear brands, ensuring that customers find the right fit is not just about improving customer satisfaction – it’s about protecting your margins and reducing costly return rates.

Thanks to CQL’s custom interactive sizing guides & shoe finders, ReaLift’s AI sizing technology, and Loop’s personalized returns solutions, footwear brands are seeing improvements in conversion, increases in customer satisfaction, and reduced return rates.

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Leveraging ReaLift’s AI TO SOLVE fit issues for RUDIS

Client RUDIS is the market leader in wrestling. When finding the right wrestling shoes, athletes need control, traction, and power, but also a snugger fit than regular athletic shoes. Brand specific sizing and adding socks continues to build more layers of difficulty in finding the right shoe fit.

Finding Your Shoe Size With a  Quick Scan

When 80% of returns were due to shoes fitting too small, RUDIS realized they needed to assist shoppers in finding the right size. Using ReaLift’s Fit Sizing Solution, RUDIS launched an AI Shoe Sizing tool on product pages that can scan your feet and determine the ideal RUDIS shoe size based on length, width, toe to heel measurements, as well as the specific dimensions of each RUDIS shoe.

AI Scan Reduces Return Rates & Increases Conversions

Based on over 46 thousand scans over 12 months, RUDIS saw a 78% increase in conversion rates when customers opted to scan their feet and find their best fit. Beyond that, online return rates dropped over 58%.

58%

reduction in returns

78%

conversion rate increase when scans are used

46k+

scans in 12 months

ReaLift’s web-based AI sizing solution allows shoppers to scan their feet and receive their feet measurements and recommended size for any shoe.
Check it out →

Retaining Revenue From Returns

With a custom branded returns experience through Loop, RUDIS customers are able to exchange their shoes with any product online in a fully automated process and reduce the amount of refunds. Loop, a Shopify returns management software, allows footwear retailers to convert more of their returns into product exchanges, helping retailers boost their customer loyalty and retain revenue from returns.

Optimizing Return Costs Through Exchanges

The average brand on Shopify sees more than 95% of their customer return requests end up as refunds. And the remaining returns are exchanges.

But with Loop, brands retain revenue on up to 50% of their returns. Using personalized return experiences, RUDIS was able to decrease their refunds and drive upsells by influencing customers to exchange for a shoe variant or any other different priced product.

Loop is a Shopify-exclusive return app that provides a branded-returns experience that lets your customers exchange for any product in your online store. And it’s all automated.
Check it out →

Outpacing Competition with Online Fit Tools

Client Saucony, a Wolverine Worldwide shoe brand, created the “Shoe Advisor,” a shoe fit finder that allows shoppers to find the perfect fit of running shoes based on a survey of lifestyle questions.

Creating Personalized Shoe Experiences through Lifestyle Surveys

Saucony’s Shoe Advisor asks shoppers for their shoe preference, size, and width. To find the best fit, the Shoe Advisor then asks a variety of questions including activity, activity surface, training & events, shoe feel, and support preferences.

The Shoe Advisor displays the best shoe match based on shopper preferences. Shoppers can select widths and colors of the top matched shoe, zoom in and out on multiple images, add shoes directly to the shopping cart, and compare other shoe matches. Shoe Advisor has enabled Saucony to reach above and beyond consumers’ likes and expectations, delivering a direct to consumer, personalized shoe experience that results in a bespoke purchase.

Sizing Tools That Find the Right Fit - for Kids

Finding the perfect fit when buying shoes online is not just a challenge for adults; it can be even harder for kids. Client Stride Rite offers a Kids’ Shoe Sizing Help, guiding shoppers to use either a printable size guide or trace their child’s foot to find measurements. Length and circumference measurements can then be entered into the Shoe Sizer, your child’s shoe size is calculated, and you are presented with a path to shop shoes in that size.

Finding the Right Fit Through Education

Part of finding the right fit is understanding how to take the right measurements and how a shoe should fit. Stride Rite also offers a comprehensive Kids’ Shoe Fit Guide, which discusses the anatomy of children’s feet, finding the proper fit, and signs to look for when shoes are too big or too small.

Sign Up & Get a Chance to Win a Footwear Experience Audit ($20K Value)

Did you enjoy our 1st Step to Success in Footwear Ecommerce? Sign up for all 6 Steps and get a chance to win a complimentary Footwear Experience Audit.