Ever purchase a pair of sneakers and realize they weren’t exactly what you wanted? Maybe they were a little too snug, the color just wasn’t what you were looking for, or they even cause a bit of pain after a while. Well, Adidas’ new Futurecraft 3D sneaker is hoping to be the solution to it all. This innovative shoe takes customization to the extreme, developing an in-store process for immediate, individualized fittings.
Adidas has a vision of integrating treadmills in a hand-full of locations. When purchasing shoes customers will go on a brief run while Adidas’ foot-scanning technologies map out footprints, every pressure point, and curve of the runners foot. Looking to get “a step ahead” of the game, Adidas is working with CAD software and their 3D printing hardware to provide every customer with a perfect fit.
Although Adidas announced their statement of intent with the Futurecraft 3D sneaker, competitors like Nike are not that far off either. Just recently at a GeekWire Summit, Nike’s COO Eric Sprunk released a video which unveiled their 3D printing model at the Nike headquarters, proving this customization revolution will come to fruition sooner than you think. Needless to say, it will be an arms race to see who perfects and globally leads this initiative first.
While this is an exciting time for consumers, it is important we put the spotlight on the actually manufacturing and vertical process bringing this product to fruition. Are companies prepared to integrate these technologies into their operations? How will these organizations allocate funds to enlighten employers on new production procedures? These are all organizational questions one may ask, but nevertheless, this is a time for either company to reinvent themselves, contributing to changing the game of individualized purchases.