Retail Technology Award Europe 2014
Paderborn, Germany, 2014-2-18 — /EPR Retail News/ — Shoes and customers’ feet are now measured electronically to ensure a perfect fit, an exceptional shoe-buying experience and, last but not least, a reduction in returns to online shops. Austria’s retailer Leder & Schuh AG took the coveted Retail Technology Award Europe 2014 for this innovative customer service.
The award is presented every year by the EHI Retail Institute for outstanding, innovative IT solutions in the retail sector. A jury of representatives from industry, research institutes and universities chose the winners in three categories from among numerous entries. The prize in the category Best Consumer Experience went to Leder & Schuh AG together with Wincor Nixdorf, its solution partner. The Retail Technology Awards Europe were presented to the winners at a gala held during the EuroShop 2014 retail fair.
Over 20 Leder & Schuh stores have already installed the machines developed by Wincor Nixdorf, which resemble an open shoe box standing upright. To register, customers need to enter their name, address and age on the touchscreen. An integrated foot scanner using light and a camera generates an electronic 3D image of their feet and stores the data on a password-protected online account. HUMANIC Avatar is the name the Austrian retailer has given to the virtual representative of its customer’s feet. Since the footwear sold by the retailer is also measured in 3D, sales staff can fetch perfectly fitting shoes from the on-site store – resulting in a faster and more effective customer service. Customers placing online orders also have access to their measurement data and can therefore rely on the shoes they choose being exactly the right fit. Leder & Schuh AG anticipates that the service will lead to a marked reduction in the return rate for its online business. With the service it aims to “ring in a new shoe-buying era,” comments Peter Horvath, managing director of the Leder & Schuh Group.
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