Riding the Customization Wave

Customization/personalization is the new hot thing in retail nowadays. Every industry--from computers to entertainment--is jumping on the customization bandwagon. Even the sportswear industry has caught on with brands providing customers with the power to design the look of their athletic shoes online. As cool as designing the outward appearance of shoes is, Adidas has pushed this idea of customization one step further. 

In 2006, Adidas launched the world's first mi Innovation Center in Paris, France. As the name suggests, Adidas offers its customers a truly innovative retail experience at this amazing new store. The center of it all is a large-scale futuristic computer where each customer is given the opportunity to create and design their own shoe with the help of an Adidas employee.

Giving Them the Run Around

On one side of the computer is a digital catwalk that the customer runs on for a few seconds. From this short run the computer is able to measure the runner's feet with amazingly minute detail--length, arch and width of each foot, and the runner's posture. Most folks are unaware that their left and right feet are usually not the same size. The catwalk measures each foot individually so that the left and right shoes fit the foot much better than off-the-shelf shoes. (A saving grace for the hoards of men with two left feet!)

The runner then answers questions about how the shoes will be used--which sports, what sort of terrain, etc., and then tackles the fun part--designing the aesthetics. The customer gets to customize everything from the shoelaces to the logos.

As if that experience wasn't interactive enough, the customer then has the opportunity to digitally try on their custom shoes. Without ever having to remove their own shoes, an image of the newly created shoe is projected onto their feet, so that they can see what the shoes will look like. It's a last chance to make any aesthetic changes they want. All of the shoe information can be stored and accessed through the internet.

Still, customers have no obligation to buy at this point. While manufacturing the customized shoes has a small fee attached, the experience of designing the shoe is absolutely free and really entertaining. If the customer chooses to buy the shoes, a package containing the most personalized shoe technology can offer will arrive on their doorstep in just three to four weeks.

A Step Ahead of the Rest

While this process is really cool, Adidas wins big innovation points by bringing this kind of at-store customization in footwear to the public! They are pioneering the athletic shoe-buying experience, and you can bet that this is going to be the future of shoe buying all over the world.

One of the greatest and most public-friendly aspects of this new retail experience is that the shoes aren't very expensive. A regular pair of Adidas running shoes costs between $50 and $130. Adding all the great customized features only adds between $45 and $60 to the total cost of the shoe, making the painstakingly customized, fit-you-like-it-was-made-for-you, great looking shoe only cost between $95 and $190! Adidas keeps every customer's information on the internet so ordering another custom pair is just a few clicks away. The shoe will still fit perfectly!

So if you value a well-made, fit-you-like-a-glove athletic shoe, visit the Adidas mi Innovation Center. This fabulous retail concept ties both the creating and designing of a perfectly fitting shoe with the things that are most important to the consumer, one shoe at a time.

A Perfect Fit

Adidas's new mi Innovation Center delivers so much more than just a new pair of shoes. It helps people, athletes or otherwise, to exercise more, have fewer injuries and feel better about themselves, their bodies and their efforts. Because of this experience, motivation goes up. Instances of exercise go up. And body shapes trim down.

It's amazing, of course, to be at the forefront of your industry technology-wise, but, let's face it--that's just not possible for everyone. What is possible is for companies to give their customers a meaningful experience, while gaining their trust and respect every time they come into contact with us. Find out what your customers value, what they find meaningful, and then, like Adidas, deliver that to them. You'll have them coming back for more in no time.