Footwear Insight

online. Aetrex technology helps retailers offer consumers benefits that aren't available when they shop online. It's an in-store service experience delivering customization of fit to the customer's unique feet. e brand's new Albert 2 Pro foot scanner is an all-in-one foot scanning solution, capturing 3D foot measurements and pressure data underfoot to help recommend orthotics. Technology Highlight: "In addition to driving traffic to stores and significantly increasing footwear and orthotics sales, Aetrex technology helps retailers with their digital initiatives," says Matt Schwartz, chief revenue officer, Aetrex, Inc. "Our Albert 2 Pro and Albert 3DFit scanners are proven to increase email acquisition, create opportunities for personalized marketing initiatives, and can be used to feed data to our FitGenius AI platform, which can be incorporated into the retailer's ecommerce site to help reduce returns." Strategic Insight: "If you were a fly on the wall here at Aetrex during a strategy meeting, you'd witness how central independent retailers are to our product initiatives," says Schwartz. "One of the great things about orthotics is that — unlike shoes — weather, fashion trends and seasonality have no impact on price. Your starting margin is your ending margin. Retailers maintain 60% margins on a $60 - $90 add-on sale, which they can sell to every customer who comes into the store. And best of all, consumers love the products!" DANSKO "Dansko is where we are today because the Independent Retailers across the country got behind our brand and made it relevant to their customers," says Kitty Bolinger, EVP of sales, Dansko. "Sales associates in these Independent retailers are experts at explaining what makes Dansko footwear special. Without this TLC Dansko could get lost or misunderstood in a sea of women's footwear. Product Highlight: Dansko launched the Livorno Collection, specifically the Pace walking sneaker, in Spring 2021. "We recognized that this very technical walking sneaker needed the support of trained exceptional sales associates to communicate the features and benefits to the consumer," says Bolinger. "Our independent retailers excel when given product like this, so we went to them with training videos, backroom posters, in person associate training sessions, product seeding and initiatives that included group walks on National Walking Day and Fit Bit giveaways for their customers to track their progress wearing the Pace walking sneaker." e Pace launch was a huge success, says Bolinger, and Pace continues to be a best seller for Dansko and the Independent retailer. A new companion sneaker, Penni, introduced in Fall 2022 is seeing broad support and success at independent retail, too, says Bolinger. Strategic Insight: "We have been able to stand out because of the passion that the Independent Retailers and their associates have – they are fiercely invested in getting the right shoe on their customers feet and they take the time do this," notes Bolinger. "Dansko recognizes that this approach will always be fundamental to our brand's success." In order to foster this success, says Bolinger, "Dansko continues to invest in retail sales associate training – in person, in print and virtually. Dansko continues to invest in getting our shoes on the associates feet so they can experience the comfort and support that our footwear provides. Dansko continues to invest in our brand sales representatives to ensure that the Independent Retailer has a committed human being calling on them wherever they want to see us – in their stores, at trade shows and sometimes (at the retailer's requests) in their homes. Dansko continues to invest in organizations and trade shows that provide continuing education and community to the Independent Retailers – the Atlanta Shoe Show, BSTA, IR, NSRA Leadership Conference, Outdoor Retailer to name a few. It is essential that we support the Independent Retailers as passionately as they have supported our brand for decades." CURREX Unlike many over-the-counter insoles created from a one-size-fits-all mindset, Currex insoles are highly customized — not only to the wearer's foot, but to the specific sport or activity the wearer participates in. "If you run, we have a running specific insole," says Lutz Klein, president, Currex, e Americas. "If you play hockey or soccer, we have insoles for those specific activities as well. e same goes for golfing, hiking, cycling, tennis, skiing, working, and everyday activities like taking your kid to the park or going for a walk. Simply put, whatever moves you, we have an insole to help keep you injury free and performing at your best." Key Initiative: e brand's latest marketing campaign "Just Soul" brings this idea to life for not only end-consumers but also for the brand's retail customers, says Klein. "Many have discovered Currex due to our RUNPRO insole, specifically designed for the running category," he notes. "However, those consumers do more than run and they can find the same unmatched technology for their other activities in our broader insole line-up. Currex understands they don't do their sport for a living, but they 50 • Footwear Insight ~ September/October 2022 footwearinsight.com Currex has customized insoles for a variety of activities, including hiking. Dansko Penni POWER IN PARTNERSHIP

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