Aetrex Panel: 3D Foot Scans Plus AI Data Take the Guesswork Out of Shoe Fit

Aetrex has built its fit technology on data from more than 50 million global foot scans, and at the 2026 WWD Apparel and Retail CEO Summit last week, its CEO argued that combining those scans with AI is changing how consumers buy shoes — from the factory to the store floor.

Larry Schwartz, chief executive officer of Aetrex Inc., led a panel titled "Utilizing AI & 3D Scan Data to Transform Shoe Fit (from Product to In-Store)." Joining him were Geoffrey Gray, president of Heeluxe, and Andreas Derkits, director of banner initiatives, North America, at Foot Locker. Their shared claim: computer vision tools such as 3D scanning, paired with AI, measurably improve shoe fit, and retailers can use the resulting data to help shoppers navigate inventory across multiple brands and styles.

The partnership between Heeluxe LLC and Aetrex Inc. underpins the effort. Heeluxe is a research firm that runs biomechanics testing and fit analysis in a data-driven lab. Aetrex is known for orthotics and insoles built on its scan database, and its customizable FitAI software helps consumers find the right shoe in their brand of choice at stores where Aetrex scanners are installed. Schwartz said the partnership helps "consumers get the right shoe quickly and effectively."

What changes when fit becomes data?

Gray's argument rests on a simple substitution: replace opinions with measurements. "When we move beyond opinions and start looking at the data, comfort is really easy. The number-one influence on comfort is fit," he said. His working definition is straightforward — take "foot shape and shoe shape and combine them. That's comfortable fit."

Heeluxe supplies the shoe side of that equation through human fit testing. But that data alone, Gray said, solves "only half of our fit equation. We have to be able to combine that with foot data" — which is exactly what Aetrex's scanning system collects. Heeluxe also works with factory and development teams at shoe brands, using proprietary technology and data points to help them design styles that better meet customer expectations on comfort and fit.

How does the in-store experience work?

For shoppers, the process takes about a minute. "When you go into a retail setting, where you can have [inventory] as big as a DSW, for example, you can go on [an Aetrex] scanner and within a minute you can see the shoes in order of how they fit your feet," Schwartz explained. "And you can ask the computer questions to help sort the assortment. So, you can say, 'I'm looking for golf shoes or hiking shoes, and it'll sort everything by fit.'"

Foot Locker is one specialty retailer with Aetrex scanners running FitAI in its stores. Derkits said customers have told the company, "We need to change how we measure their feet." The scanners help customers navigate their fit journey, gain confidence in the technology and "discover multiple brands along that process."

The retail workflow is lighter than it might sound. Staff scan new footwear quarterly. "You don't need to scan every color. You just scan the specific style, and that uploads [to the] database," Derkits said.

He offered a concrete case: a customer who believed she wore a size 6 went through the scanning experience, and the "machine told her she was a size 7, and she went and tried on a size 7. Now [the shoe] feels great, and it's an actual fit." One scan corrected a sizing assumption the shopper had likely carried for years.

FitAI goes beyond raw measurements. Schwartz noted the software adjusts for both shoe and foot shape, so it can recommend the correct size for any given brand and style a consumer chooses — the kind of cross-brand sizing guidance that has traditionally depended on trial and error in the aisle.

The data also feeds design. "Developers can log in through our data portal called foot.com, and you can actually see the average feet in Asia versus Scandinavia versus South America, and you can really develop shoes in a smarter way," Schwartz said. If scan coverage keeps growing, fit recommendations grounded in measured foot shape rather than stated size could become a standard expectation at retail rather than a specialty feature.