In recent years, 3D foot scanning has gained momentum as a premium solution for retailers focused on prioritizing fit, innovation and service. While advanced scanners offer rich data and enhanced customer experiences, they often come with a higher price tag that makes it challenging for some retailers to scale.
What if retailers could access high-end 3D scanners at a more affordable cost? That’s what Aetrex created with the Zoe Pro, its new 3D scanner — launching in August. Engineered for accuracy and built for scale, the Zoe Pro brings advanced, accessible foot scanning to the forefront.
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The scanner is a cost-effective sibling to the brand’s premium Albert Pro scanner; the Zoe Pro shares much of its core DNA — complete 3D foot measurements, underfoot pressure analysis and intelligent product recommendations — delivered in a newly streamlined package.
Albert Pro remains Aetrex’s gold standard 3D scanner, at $2,995.
The introduction of the Zoe Pro presents a new price category with the 3D scanner priced at $1,995. Bringing the advanced fitting technology within reach to every footwear store worldwide, the Zoe Pro makes better shoe fitting and foot health accessible for all.
Aetrex’s chief executive officer, Larry Schwartz, said that the Zoe Pro was inspired by Tesla’s Models 3 and Y, which dramatically reduced the cost of state-of-the-art electric vehicles and brought technology to the mainstream.
“We set out to redefine foot scanning from the inside out,” he said. “Our mission was to eliminate cost and complexity without compromising performance.”
Refined Engineering Unveiled
Over an 18-month development period, the company’s engineering team reexamined every component of its existing scanner infrastructure. They found nine key opportunities for refinement. The team ultimately eliminated 260 internal parts — chips, processors and wiring — while simultaneously streamlining, honing camera and sensor technologies and fine-tuning performance at a reduced cost.
The most impactful hardware reduction was the number of processors from 3 MCUs in the Albert Pro to 1 MCU in the Zoe Pro. The MCU serves as the main processor, or the “brain” of the electronic system, responsible for controlling operations, measuring pressure and communicating with the PC. This update allows for increased speed and efficiency at a reduced cost and with fewer parts and complexity.
A visible hardware change is the scanner’s footprint. The Zoe Pro has a wider and taller pedometer platform, offering users more space to stand and an intuitive entrance to the scanner. Under the surface, data transfer speeds have doubled and pressure sensors have been upgraded. But the most noteworthy innovation is what’s visually on the PC screen.
The Zoe Pro introduces a new kind of software experience built around a friendly AI assistant, a 3D character — also named Zoe — who guides users through the scanning process, answers questions and interprets results in real time. The Zoe AI Assistant is designed to engage directly with shoppers and store staff alike to create a smoother, intuitive experience and reduce the need for additional staff training.
Similar to the Albert Pro, the Zoe Pro is quick and accurate; it collects 16 key 3D measurements, including length, width, arch height, arch depth and girth and scans for both adults and kids by utilizing the children-specific Tootsie software. The Zoe Pro can also recommend any brand of footwear loaded into a retailer’s POS system, allowing for more personalized fit recommendations based on a shopper’s unique foot scan.
Although the Zoe Pro won’t offer every feature found in the Albert Pro — it omits walking gait analysis, orthotic comparison tools and R&D software modules — it provides retailers and customers with accurate sizing, pressure mapping, smart fit footwear and orthotic recommendations.
Results That Propel Momentum
Albert Pro’s strong conversion and engagement results have laid the groundwork for the Zoe Pro. Since launching in 2020, Albert Pro has seen up to a 40 percent footwear conversion rate for customers who scanned and purchased footwear on the same day. And 60 percent of shoppers who get their feet scanned view and engage with Aetrex’s FitAI InStore feature — which helps consumers find the best shoes for their unique feet based on their personalized foot scan results.
Notably, retailers who utilize the Albert Pro see a 64 percent orthotic conversion rate and up to a 60 percent attachment rate in identifying shoppers who purchase both footwear and orthotics after a foot scan. The scanner also successfully collects shoppers’ emails, with current retailers experiencing up to a 55 percent email capture rate, allowing for enhanced customer service and email marketing opportunities after the shopper leaves the store.
Zoe Pro Solution and Retail Application
The new Zoe Pro provides retailers with an opportunity to shift how they think about personalized fit and bring it to reality in-store. By removing barriers like cost and complexity, Aetrex said it’s opening the door for more stores to integrate advanced scanning into their everyday shoe retail experience.
The scanner will launch fully compatible with Aetrex’s FitAI and children’s foot scanning platform, Tootsie. While it may be more accessible in cost and design, Zoe Pro carries the same ethos as its predecessor: to bring better fit, better comfort and better foot health to every shopper.
“Zoe Pro is an engineering breakthrough that combines precision with simplicity. This is the future of fit. And it fits everyone,” concluded Schwartz.