Does Online Measure Up to In-Store: Running Shoes
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From music to books to expensive digital cameras, consumers have become quite comfortable buying a variety of items online. But there are some purchases, like running shoes, that have traditionally required more of a personal investment. We picked five of the top running shoe manufacturers, deconstructed their online product pages and analyzed how well online can replace the in-store experience.
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Does Online Measure Up to In-Store: Running Shoes
- 7. ASICS Gel-Cumulus 15 Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 8. BROOKS Defyance 6 Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 10. NIKE Free 3.0 Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 11. SAUCONY Ride 6 Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 12. AND WENT SHOPPING... Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 20. SIMPLYPUT... There can often be very little difference between a number of shoes. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 23. thelittledifferencesbetweenshoes arefoundindetailslike: Weight Cushioning system Heel-to-toe drop Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 24. close-up viewof ASICS EXPANDED Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 25. close-up viewof ASICS Weight Heel-to-toe drop (info to calculate) Cushioning EXPANDED Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 26. close-up viewof BROOKS Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 29. close-up viewof NEWBALANCE EXPANDED Cushioning Weight DOESN’T DISPLAY: Heel-to-toe drop Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 30. close-up viewof NIKE Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 31. close-up viewof NIKE Weight Heel-to-toe drop Cushioning Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 33. close-up viewof SAUCONY EXPANDED Cushioning Weight DOESN’T DISPLAY: Heel-to-toe drop Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 35. There is NO industry-wide standardization of what product details a company must display online. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 36. Product details are often couched in text, video, or graphics rather than set off in some easily detectable way. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 37. THUS, if you’re not already familiar with these sites, it can be difficult to compare specs between shoes. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 42. close-up viewof ASICS Two general size and width guides make up the extent of the Asics fit guide. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 43. close-up viewof NEWBALANCE EXPANDED EXPANDED While New Balance boasts a large variety of widths, there is no guide to individually find the right fit. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 44. close-up viewof NIKE Even the customize option doesn’t provide much variety - standard sizes, and 2 width options Picking between shoes in the Nike FREE line? Charts like these are all you get *All of the shoes in the line have a so-called “sock-like” fit. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 45. othercompanies havefigureditout. ARE TRYING HARDER. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 47. close-up viewof BROOKS EXPANDED EXPANDED Brooks provides even MORE options Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 48. close-up viewof BROOKS Brooks provides even MORE options Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 50. The industry as a whole doesn’t seem to agree that adding in-depth fitting guides is an online priority. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 51. Applications like SHOEFITR can greatly benefit online shoe shopping, but only if more companies adopt it. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 52. BUT despite these efforts, Kyle points out that onlyarunningshoe specialistcantellyou ifthatbunionwillput pressureonthatspot. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 53. SIMPLYPUT... Even the most innovative online applications can’t replace analysis of the individual foot. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 58. close-up viewof ASICS * No reviews about Gel-Cumulus - this is for a different shoe Star ratings for quick take-away Brief consumer personal profile Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 59. close-up viewof BROOKS Quick, pre-set questions for general aggregate review summary Questions about individual fit Brief consumer activity profile Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 60. close-up viewof NEWBALANCE Questions about individual fit Consumer personal and activity profile Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 61. close-up viewof NIKE Brief consumer activity profile Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 62. close-up viewof SAUCONY Questions about individual fit Consumer personal and activity profile Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 64. Many review templates ask consumers the same personal/activity details an in-store running shoe specialist might. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 65. THUS, if all the consumers reviewing a shoe have similar personal/activity details to your own, chances are you’re looking at a good shoe for you too. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 66. But whereas in-store specialists talk to hundreds of consumers, the shoes we looked at only got between 5-10 consumer reviews. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 67. Is this enough aggregated perspective to go off on? The choice is yours. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 69. THEBIGCONSUMERQUESTION: “HOWMUCHINFORMATION DOINEEDBEFOREMAKING ANONLINEPURCHASE?” Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 70. KYLESAYS: “The idea is that doing research can make you a bit of an informed consumer. But even the most informed consumer isn’t trying on the shoes.” Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 76. THERE ARE 3 GENERAL COMPONENTS TO BUYING A GOOD PAIR OF RUNNING SHOES: RESEARCH THE FIT OUTSIDE OPINION Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 77. PROS: • Websites provide more product detail than is generally available in-store • (Ideally) you can quickly compare specs between products CONS: • Because there’s no standardization of which product specs to display and how to display them, making quick comparisons across sites can be difficult THE RESEARCH Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 78. PROS: • If you’re a running shoe connoisseur, there are apps that quickly recommend related shoes, and estimate fit CONS: • You can’t try them on • Most companies don’t tailor their online fit guides to the individual foot THE FIT Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 79. PROS: • Websites provide a variety of personalized review templates that bring consumers closer to others who’ve used the product • You (potentially) have many perspectives, versus just one in- store CONS: • Online reviews either get many perspectives or none at all; a running shoe specialist looks at hundreds of cases • A running shoe specialist can ensure the shoe is right for the individual foot OUTSIDE OPINION (via reviews) Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 84. WHENITCOMESTOPRODUCTSPECS, WEBSITESMUSTFOCUSON QUALITY,AVAILABILITY& CONSISTENCY. Tuesday, July 16, 13
- 88. Tuesday, July 16, 13