Clara Solves Camallonga1, Beatriz Nácher Fernández1, Juan Carlos González García1, Emelina Herráiz González2, Lydia Benages Grifo1, Jordi Uriel Molto1, Sara Gil Mora1, Sandra Alemany Mut1
1 Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV). Universitat Politècnica de València. Edificio 9C. Camino de Vera s/n (E-46022) Valencia. Spain
2 MADE IN ME
MADE IN ME (www.madeinmeshoes.com) is a company dedicated to the sale of footwear designed by the actual client, in accordance with their tastes and preferences. Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) has developed for this company a new size allocator for women’s shoes based on the anthropometry of the female population of Spain. The allocator has also been customized for the different models of footwear that the company sells.
E-COMMERCE: BUYING THE INTANGIBLE
In recent years, e-commerce has seen a steady growth at the global level. Spain is no stranger to this trend, and more and more consumers are purchasing products on the Internet. The garment industry, including both clothing and footwear, is one of the sectors that has experienced the highest growth in sales through this channel, and the forecast is that this trend will continue in the years to come.
A growing number of footwear companies are using the Internet as a sales channel for their products. There are several reasons justifying this fact: it reduces fixed costs, it eliminates opening hours and it increases brand visibility, allowing it to reach new customers. The advantages for consumers are multiple: they save time and they can enjoy remote access anywhere and at any time, a wide range of products, etc. Despite the advantages inherent in this sales channel, there are certain drawbacks that can affect both the company and its customers. One of the most important ones is the fact that buyers cannot try on their shoes before they buy them.
Nowadays, myriad tools facilitate the creation and management of electronic commerce, including communication with customers. Despite the fact that it is possible to provide personalized customer care, as yet there are no tools that make it possible to perform a virtual test of how the shoes fit. Even though the buyers can turn to the company for advice, they must rely on their own judgment when selecting the size they buy. However, an error in the selection of the size will mean problems of fitting, both if the shoes are too big or if they are too small.
THE DILEMMA: CHOOSING THE SIZE
When it comes to footwear, fit is a key aspect to ensure the comfort of the product, so in the majority of cases, not choosing the right size during the purchasing process almost certainly implies having to return the product. If the company has a policy of zero cost for the customer, the company itself must assume the cost of the return. On the other hand, as far as consumers are concerned, having to return items that they have purchased on the Internet is a source of frustration and reduces the likelihood of their buying again in the future.
To help buyers choose their size, most of the companies that sell shoes over the Internet use different tools that are normally accessible through the same sales portal, so that the buyer can see, download and use them. These tools are:
♦ Conversion tables, which compare the different systems of sizes that are used in the manufacture of footwear; the most common systems are the European, English and American ones. These tables are of no use as far as deciding what size you should buy, as there is no indication as to what size of footwear you should choose. They merely serve to ensure that if the buyer knows his or her size in one system, they can see what the equivalent size is in another. They are used to determine what size the buyer should order when the size system used by the company selling the footwear is not the system the buyer normally uses.
♦ Size guidelines are tables that link the length of the foot to the corresponding size, generally without providing any information as how to accurately determine the measurement of the foot. By using discrete foot length values, these guidelines generate uncertainty in the user when the length of their feet does not match these values and rather falls halfway between two sizes.
♦ Size allocation templates, used by very few companies. Normally, the user has to download and print a document on which they place their foot; where the topmost part of their toes lies determines their size.
While assignment templates are the most reliable method for allocating size, current templates present a series of problems and constraints that reduce their hit rates when it comes to telling users what shoe size they should purchase:
♦ Errors when following or interpreting the instructions. Often there are neither precise guidelines nor procedures, or even missing instructions.
♦ Most of the templates only use one variable to allocate size: the length of the foot. They do not consider other key dimensions for ensuring a good fit, such as the width of the foot.
♦ Any given footwear company only has one single allocator for every model they sell. However, the fit varies depending on the style of the shoe, the height of the heel and the design of the cut.
THE SOLUTION: A NEW SHOE SIZE ALLOCATOR
The company MADE IN ME maintains a policy of exchanges and returns that implies zero cost to clients so that it is the company itself that assumes the costs associated with returns caused by errors when allocating their size. In addition, reselling pairs of shoes that have been returned is quite complex, as the clients customize the aesthetics of the product in line with their tastes.
As far as MADE IN ME is concerned, assuring a correct fit is vital if they intend to reduce costs and at the same time maintain optimal levels of customer satisfaction. Fit is especially important in their range of high-heeled shoes, since in this type of footwear fit is even more critical given that the shoe should provide excellent support for the foot without being too tight. Although the company maintains a close relationship with its customers and even though they provide personalized advice, they decided to develop new tools to optimize the size allocation process.
To address the design of the new allocator, IBV proposed a three-pronged approach:
a) Analyze the lasts used to manufacture the footwear; the last reproduces the space inside the shoe, meaning that it is closely linked to how it fits. To study the differences between models of the same size, we analyzed the lasts used for the different styles of footwear.
b) Analyze the morphology of the feet of the population, to detect the variability there may be in the widths of feet that have lengths that correspond to the same size. To do this, we studied the maximum contours of the foot of the female population of Spain. This provided vital information as far as fit was concerned (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Superposition of population contours corresponding to three shoe sizes.
c) Generate an allocator that is easy to understand, easy to use and that provides clear and precise size allocation results. We decided to use a template that would be accessible through the shopping portal.
On this basis, the IBV generated a proposal for an allocator that takes into consideration:
♦ Two foot dimensions to guide the allocation: length and width. In addition, users do not have to measure their foot, they simply draw out its outline, thereby eliminating the errors associated with taking measurements.
♦ A template with detailed and illustrated instructions that facilitates the allocation process and eliminates such common errors as not holding the pencil in the right position or setting the foot down in the wrong place.
♦ Specificities in the allocation of each shoe model. That is to say, the template is common to every model, but the guidelines for selecting the size will depend on the model of shoe the customer chooses.
The allocator was validated by fitting tests carried out on a sample of users, using the different models that make up the collection of women’s shoes of the company MADE IN ME (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Shoe models used to validate the allocator.
Figure 3. Carrying out the validation tests of the allocator.
CONCLUSIONS
Shoe fit is a complex parameter; obtaining the best possible fit brings into play the style of the shoe, the height of the heel, the design of the cut, the morphology of the wearer’s foot and their preferences. From fitting complexity a number of limitations can be deduced when trying to create a shoe fit model:
♦ The foot is a three-dimensional structure. Therefore, it is necessary to know its shape in space if we expect to ensure an optimal fit of the shod foot.
♦ Even with one and the same manufacturer, you can wear different sizes depending on the model of the shoe. This variation in sizes is more likely in high-heeled shoes, where fit is even more critical than in casual footwear. In fact, 70% of the users who took part in the validation of the allocator, wore different sizes, depending on the model of the shoe. Therefore, it is necessary to have size allocators that take into account the particularities of each model of footwear.
♦ The lack of standardization in the sizes of footwear makes it difficult to generate universal fit criteria. A person’s shoe size can easily vary depending on the brand of footwear.
Despite these limitations, the allocator that IBV has developed for the MADE IN ME company obtained excellent results in the validation tests that we carried out. We had an average 86% size allocation success rate. However, we hope to be able to further refine the current design after it has been used on a massive scale by a large number of users through the company's sales portal. New users will add greater variability as far as foot morphology is concerned and configuring different models of footwear. MADE IN ME will monitor the results of how the allocator is used and the results obtained.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To the company MADE IN ME, for placing its trust in Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) for the implementation of this project.
