One of the most common challenges in e-commerce for footwear is knowing how to accurately measure shoes size. The return rate is alarming: 1 in 3 pairs of shoes purchased online are returned, and more than half of these returns are due to poor fit. This is particularly serious in the case of highly personalised footwear—such as work shoes or those used in some sports—and extremely critical for customised or made-to-measure footwear.
Minimising measurement errors when how to measure shoes size both in physical shops and at home is crucial to improving customer experience and reducing the additional costs associated with returns. In this article, we tell you everything you need to know to take advantage of the latest technology based on artificial intelligence (AI) to optimally measure feet—the 3D Avatar Feet app.
Evolution of foot size and width measurement
How to measure shoes size has experienced a considerable evolution in recent years.
- Traditionally, shops used mechanical devices such as the Brannock device, which offered a basic measurement of foot length and width. These devices are inexpensive, but their accuracy is limited and they do not provide sufficient information for footwear customisation.
- The emergence of physical 3D scanners changed the game. These scanners offer remarkable precision in capturing foot shape, but their high cost and the need for trained personnel to use them represent an obstacle to their widespread adoption in retail.
- Recently, 3D scanning apps have democratised access to this technology. Now, with just a smartphone, anyone can capture the exact dimensions of their foot from home, without the need for expensive equipment or specialised personnel. How to measure shoes size? The precision achieved by these apps is comparable to that of traditional scanners, making them an ideal option for e-commerce in footwear and for manufacturers of customised work shoes.
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Why opt for new 3D technology
In the footwear sector, opting for 3D technology represents a significant advance in the precision and efficiency of the measurement process. Unlike traditional methods, which rely on two-dimensional measurements, this technology allows for a detailed, three-dimensional capture of the foot shape, facilitating more accurate identification of measurements such as length, width, and instep height. This way, a much more precise fit is achieved for each individual.
This approach has several advantages:
- It allows for precise and detailed measurement without the need for expensive scanners or specific technical knowledge to operate them.
- Users can take measurements from the comfort of their homes, which facilitates the online shopping process and reduces returns due to size errors. This is how to measure foot width at home.
- The results obtained are consistent, highly reliable, and useful thanks to the use of advanced algorithms, which guarantee accurate and repeatable measurements.
- It enables the optimisation of production processes, allowing manufacturers to integrate these measurements into their design and production processes, accelerating the development of customised products.
3D Avatar Feet: How to measure shoe width at home with the best app
The 3D Avatar Feet mobile app uses cutting-edge technology based on artificial intelligence that allows users to obtain an accurate three-dimensional model of their feet using only a smartphone.
The capture process is simple:
- The user takes three photos of their foot placed on a white sheet of paper from different angles: side, front, and medial.
- The app processes the images using a parametric foot model created from a database of more than 700 real foot scans. Thanks to principal component analysis (PCA), the system adjusts the generic model to the specific characteristics of the user’s foot.
- In a matter of seconds, a 3D model of the foot and more than 20 measurements are obtained.
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Comparison: Traditional foot measurement vs. measurement with a 3D reconstruction app
The Biomechanics Institute of Valencia (IBV) conducted a study to evaluate the accuracy of different foot measurement methods. The study compared measurements obtained using the 3D scanning app with those from a traditional high-precision scanner (ATOS), which are used as a reference in the study.
The results were impressive. Although the ATOS scanner has millimetre precision (0.1 mm), the Avatar Feet app yielded an overall average error of only 1.12 mm, a more than acceptable margin for commercial applications such as custom footwear manufacturing.
Moreover, the system’s repeatability—that is, the ability to obtain consistent results in repeated measurements—was remarkable, with a repeatability error of 0.32 mm. This indicates that measurements with the app are not only accurate but also consistent.
Regarding specific foot measurements, such as length, instep circumference, and toe width, the average errors were minimal, ranging from 0.8 mm to 3.4 mm depending on the measurement. These results confirm that 3D scanning technology through an app is a valid and affordable alternative to physical 3D scanning methods, especially in sectors where customised fit is crucial, such as work footwear.
For all these reasons, there is no doubt that the use of 3D scanning technology through mobile apps has revolutionised how to measure shoes size and how to measure foot width. Specifically, the 3D Avatar Feet app offers a precise, accessible, and easy-to-use solution for anyone, allowing measurements to be taken from home with results comparable to high-end traditional scanners.
By opting for pioneering technology solutions like Avatar Feet, footwear companies can significantly reduce the margin of error in size selection, decrease returns, and improve customer satisfaction, making it an indispensable tool for the customised, work, and sports footwear industries.