Aetrex Cites 50 Million Foot Scans as FitAI Reshapes Shoe Sizing

Aetrex has built its orthotics and insoles on data drawn from more than 50 million global foot scans, and the company's FitAI software now uses that dataset to recommend correct shoe sizes across brands and styles. Chief Executive Officer Larry Schwartz laid out the model last week at the 2026 WWD Apparel and Retail CEO Summit, where he led a panel titled "Utilizing AI & 3D Scan Data to Transform Shoe Fit (from Product to In-Store).

The panel paired Aetrex with two partners in the fit-data chain. Geoffrey Gray, president of Heeluxe, a research firm that runs biomechanics testing and fit analysis in a data-driven lab, joined Andreas Derkits, director of banner initiatives for North America at Foot Locker, a specialty retailer with Aetrex scanners installed in stores running FitAI software.

What does the partnership change?

Schwartz said the Heeluxe–Aetrex partnership has helped "consumers get the right shoe quickly and effectively." For retailers, the value proposition sits in assortment navigation: a shopper steps on a scanner and receives a fit-ranked list of shoes in 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 said. Shoppers can filter by use case, asking the system for golf shoes or hiking shoes sorted by fit.

Gray framed fit as a measurable variable rather than a matter of taste. "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 shorthand: take "foot shape and shoe shape and combine them. That's comfortable fit."

How does the data reach factories?

Heeluxe contributes human fit-testing data from its lab. Gray said this solves "only half of our fit equation. We have to be able to combine that with foot data," which Aetrex's scanning system supplies. Heeluxe works with factory and development teams at shoe brands, using proprietary technology and data points to shape footwear design toward customer expectations on comfort and fit.

Schwartz pointed to a developer-facing portal, foot.com, where brands can log in and compare average foot measurements across regions. "You can actually see the average feet in Asia versus Scandinavia versus South America, and you can really develop shoes in a smarter way," he said — a tool that could inform regional grading decisions in product development.

What is the store-level workflow?

For retailers, scanning is a quarterly exercise rather than a per-SKU burden. Teams scan new footwear as it arrives in stores. "You don't need to scan every color. You just scan the specific style, and that uploads [to the] database," Derkits said.

Foot Locker's customers have told the chain, "We need to change how they measure their feet," according to Derkits. He said scanners help customers navigate their fit journey, build confidence in technology and discover multiple brands along the way.

He cited one customer who believed she wore a size 6. The scan returned a size 7. She tried the larger size, and the shoe "feels great, and it's an actual fit," Derkits said — a data point with direct implications for returns and conversion at the register.

Schwartz added that FitAI adjusts recommendations for both shoe and foot shape, sizing each consumer correctly for any given brand and style. As scanner installations widen and the scan database grows, fit data looks set to move from a store-level sales aid toward a core input in how brands design, grade and distribute footwear.