Foot Scanning in UK, USA and China

Fit and comfort are almost synonymous in the footwear industry, with sales and brand reputation greatly affected by the fit offered by a product. Additionally, the end consumer is more aware than ever of the effect of poor fit on comfort and foot health. While a degree of discomfort is occasionally accepted in some products, the majority of footwear will not sell if fit is incorrect. The growth of online sales is leading the industry to a greater transparency in fitting guidelines and size marking to reduce returns and secondary purchases intended to assess fit. A large-scale study of several thousand pairs of feet utilizing 3D scanning technology has produced modern foot data which can lead to the optimisation of fit for a target audience. This can progress to improved population coverage of footwear, increased market potential and augmented comfort levels and general foot health. Current foot dimension statistics and fitting guidelines are based on data collected a number of decades ago and evidence from this new survey demonstrates that foot shape and size have drifted noticeably over this period. This survey is providing the industry with the required data to evaluate and amend the understanding of foot shape and the dimensions necessary to improve fit. The statistical evaluation of collected foot data will improve population coverage and enable more informed decisions to be made on fit and sizing to increase comfort and reduce returns. The scope of this survey also includes the assessment of differences between the three demographics, UK, USA and China. Much of the footwear manufacturing industry has migrated to Asia from Europe and the US while the markets for this footwear remains to the west. This introduces new difficulties in fitting footwear that may have been modelled on Asian feet but intended for a western market. Similarly, much of the tooling (lasts) used in footwear manufacture were designed in Europe and the US, yet there is an increasingly strong market for European goods in the immerging Eastern markets. Differences in foot shape may require new tooling for such a market.