Fleet Feet announced the debut of Fleet Feet Drop Shop, a new retail concept shopping experience in Portland, OR. The concept combines Fleet Feet’s 3D foot scanning technology and personalized outfitting experience with two-day home delivery.
Located on 3080 Southeast Division Street, Fleet Feet Drop Shop carries try-on samples of the top 35 men’s and women’s shoe models from brands including Brooks, Hoka One One, New Balance and On. Store outfitters will help find footwear solutions for customers to try on in-store based on the customer’s foot size, width and needs. Once the customer decides on the shoe, the outfitter will order the model in the color choice of the customer, who then receives the product via home delivery and free shipping in two days.
“There’s nothing more frustrating for the customer than not having the shoe size and color they want in stock,” said Wade Pannell, owner of Fleet Feet Drop Shop. “We saw an opportunity to develop a concept shop sized for the urban retail environment that doubled down on convenience and selection for the customer. At about 1,300 square feet, Fleet Feet Drop Shop has a smaller footprint than a traditional Fleet Feet location, but we’ve removed the constraints of physical inventory in order to maximize every square foot of the customer experience, and ultimately, the customer’s satisfaction in receiving the shoe model and size they need in the color they want.”
An experienced entrepreneur, Pannell owns 10 additional Fleet Feet locations across Oregon, Idaho and Washington. Prior to becoming a Fleet Feet Owner, Pannell spent over a decade as a landscape architect and real estate developer. He opened his first location in 2012 in Spokane, WA with his wife Julie.
“Wade has a tenacity and entrepreneurial spirit to him that makes him the perfect person to bring this concept to life,” said Joey Pointer, CEO of Fleet Feet. “His passion for testing and evolving always goes back to identifying how we can we best serve the customer and the community, a principle that’s at the core of the Fleet Feet brand. We look forward to learning from both the results and the customer reception of Fleet Feet Drop Shop to identify other potential opportunities like it in an urban environment across the country.”
In addition to utilizing 3D foot scanning, Fleet Feet Drop Shop outfitters will utilize Fit Engine, an algorithm that assists outfitters in shoe selection through purchase insights from the over two million scans captured at Fleet Feet stores nationwide since 2017. 3D foot scanning, Fit Engine, and Fleet Feet outfitters make up Fleet Feet’s fit id personalized outfitting experience, currently available at the brand’s 182 locations nationwide.
In addition to fit id, Fleet Feet Drop Shop will feature later this year its kicks off run clubs and training programs for 5K, 10K and marathon distances.
The store officially opened its door on March 5 and will share details soon on a grand opening celebration event.
Photo courtesy Fleet Feet
