Vivobarefoot, the minimalist footwear brand, has launched an online fitting application called Shoefitr that allows shoppers to mimic the in-store fitting experience through their website. Since integrating Shoefitr's application at the beginning of the year, Vivobarefoot has seen a 37.5 percent reduction in returns and a higher level of engagement from shoppers. The findings were pulled from an 8 month evaluation of the online fitting service on vivobarefoot.com.
According to Vivobarefoot Global Marketing Director, Michelle Hinsvark, “Vivobarefoot is continuously looking to improve the online consumer shopping experience and one of the major reasons for returns was fit. As all shoes are designed on an anatomical last, the shoes fit different than conventional footwear. Having an application that directly compares the shoes the customer wears, to the shoes they want to purchase is not only brilliant, it's imperative to customer satisfaction.”
Vivobarefoot began using Shoefitr's fitting app on its retail site in February, 2012 in an effort to make trying a pair of the company's shoes easier for shoppers who had not worn them in the past or who wanted to see how new models fit. Shoppers can enter the name and size of their current shoe and see how each Vivobarefoot shoe will fit. The company has seen a 37.5 percent reduction in its return rate when compared to the same eight month period in 2011. The application has also garnered excitement from shoppers who leave feedback like the following:
“Very dynamic visual shoe comparison. This is awesome!” Vivobarefoot Customer
“This is fantastic! I'm trying to go minimalist, don't have access to a decent shoe store, and this is really helping me figure out what to buy. Thanks!” Vivobarefoot Customer
About 28 percent of purchases on Vivobarefoot's site come from users of the fitting application, which is about 20 times higher than other common features on retail sites like product videos.
