SmartLast Success Blog

Running shoe fit should get better every year. SmartLast testing of the recent release of Spring/Summer 2023 running shoes shows that fit is getting worse, especially for women’s fit. Let’s look at how fit is getting worse and some reasons why. The graph above shows the SmartLast running database of almost 1500 women’s and men’s…

Women’s shoes do not need to fit tighter than men’s– No one likes to have their toes squeezed! Footwear brands that care about their customer’s foot health and comfort need looser toe fit. Let’s explore how women’s shoes are fitting tighter and how we can resolve this problem. 15% Tighter. Women’s shoes fit OVER 15%…

Many footwear brands overlook how a slight material change results in big changes to the overall fit of the shoe. This article covers how the fit changes by using different materials in shoes. Using the same last but different materials can change the fit by >1 size. Shoes made using the same last, at the…

The evolution of Hiking Boot fit is bringing better comfort for all customers—whether they are on the trail or ‘hiking’ through an airport or city street. Footwear brands are always asking us the keys to the most comfortable hiking boot fits—and now we’ll share them with you! The Pinky Toe Problem Tightness on the pinky…

Fashion brands design leading styles that enable consumers to feel bold and confident while wearing them. As the working environment has shifted in the last few years, there are three areas that designers should focus on to improve the experience of their customers. These three areas include increasing the ball width, toe box width, and…

Every shoe brand has fit issues. Working with brands to solve their fit issues is what makes the SmartLast system so rewarding. Here are 3 success stories from our SmartLast Promotion, Shoe Fit February. Stay on Time Brand T is a casual footwear brand that is updating their product line. SmartLast testing confirmed their C…

Finding the best last measurements to update your fit is a challenge for every shoe brand. Let’s take the stress and frustration out of that process. Here we identify the 2 best strategies for improving your last design based on our work with 100s of brands.   Starting with another brand’s last is not going…

Is your brand measuring how comfortable your fit is compared to top competitors? In this blog we’ll tell you how to measure your Brand’s Average Fit and Fit Consistency so that you can keep your customers happy and gain an advantage over your competitors. What is Brand Average Fit and Fit Consistency? The Brand Average…

Footwear brands can always make better product. In this video we examine what footwear brands can learn from one of the largest brands in the world: McDonalds. No brand can make a shoe as fast as they can make a hamburger. However, we should all take advantage about what they have done to provide customers…

How Long Should Your Shoes Be? In footwear little things make a big difference in comfort. The difference between a good fitting shoe and an uncomfortable one is often less than a few millimeters. Many footwear brands and retailers are unsure how long their shoes should be for optimal comfort. So, how long should your…

The human foot has a lot of nerve endings in the toes, this makes it easy for your customer to feel something uncomfortable in front of their toes. How sure are you that the shoes you’re making are comfortable in this area? This article explains the importance of toe box depth, what types of shoes…

Time is money. This post includes examples of how footwear brands and retailers are using SmartLast to save time during their fit evaluations. How Long Does it Take for a Human Tester to Give Shoe Fit Feedback? Before we share the impressive speed that SmartLast collects fit data with, let’s review how long it takes…

Many footwear brands wonder how their shoe’s fit compares to the bestselling shoes on the market. Until recently it was impossible to have accurate shoe fit data organized in a way that compares your shoes to every other shoe your customer wears. The SmartLast fit database enables you to have the most powerful fit data…

One SmartLast Covers All Lasts Shoe manufactures have 100s of lasts in their inventories. This article explains how your brand can use one SmartLast to test every shoe regardless of the last it was built with. SmartLast is a last only in name SmartLast’s is not an actual “last” used in a factory to build…