If The Shoe Fits — Amazon Wants To Sell It

It’s the biggest conundrum for an online shopper looking to buy shoes online — how well will they fit? Will they be too slim or too wide? Too big or too small? What’s an online shopper to do when they aren’t sure how shoes purchased online will fit?

That’s where Shoefitr comes in. The online shoe site hosts a suite of products that help inform shoppers how shoes online measure up when it comes to picking out the perfect size. Essentially, the company wants to put that advice that would otherwise come from the store associate online, making it easier for shoppers to know what size is best depending on brand or style. Now, there’s indication that Amazon is hoping to lace up its ability to sell more shoes online by acquiring Shoefitr, TechCrunch reported, citing anonymous sources.

Neither company confirmed the deal, but sources also indicated that Shoefitr was looking to move to Seattle, where Amazon’s headquarters are based. Shoefitr has reported that its technology has helped online shoe returns across its retail partners decrease by 25 percent for those who’ve added its technology.

“It’s not magic, but it sure does seem like it,” the company’s website boasts. “We use scanning technology accurate enough to measure the thickness of human hair and scan every shoe on the market so shoppers only have to answer a few questions to get a recommendation.”

Shoefitr claims that its application gives shoppers more confidence in the product they are buying, which has generated a 13 percent average increase in sales conversions. The company also asserts that it receives about 16 percent usage across a retailer’s site, which the company says is 10 to 20 times more than most product review engagement.