Shoe customers' behaviour with new technologies: the Magic Mirror case

Abstract

European shoe manufacturing sector suffers a high pressure due to the eastern countries competition. Maintaining the competitiveness can appear a chess game in which western countries have to strategically find the appropriate solutions. Dorothy is a research project funded by the European Commission within the 7th Framework Programme under the NMP theme. It promotes a response based on the transformation of shoe industry and related business model meant to strengthen Europe's ability to compete in terms of high added value for the customer. This foreseen transformation deals with the development of tools for the design of customer driven adding value shoes and with the realization of tools for the design and reconfiguration of flexible multi-site and multi-nation production plants. Since the customer is the centre of the innovation process based on new technological approaches, this paper analyses the customer approach to the customized product and in particular impact of the Augmented Reality (AR). The Magic Mirror uses the AR (mixed of real and virtual images) for allowing the user to try-on a pair of virtual customized shoes. This new trial step implies a new purchasing path and a different approach with the product. This paper presents the Magic Mirror case study and a research made with a new questionnaire called “Flow for Presence Questionnaire” measuring the state of the user during the trial.