Volumental is setting its sights on expansion in North America.
On Monday, the Swedish footwear fit tech company said it is setting up a physical presence in North America with offices and employees based in the region for the first time. While location and number of employees are not yet known, Volumental did confirm that the company’s current chief marketing officer, Brent Hollowell, will serve as its new general manager for the North American operations.
Volumental CEO Alper Aydemir said in a statement that the establishment of a North American presence is driven by “escalating demand” for the company’s “unique omnichannel fit solutions.”
“Given the U.S.’s status as our largest market, and our continuous expansion of mission-critical technology products and services, establishing a local presence is ideal for supporting our upcoming pilots and rollouts,” Aydemir said. “Brent’s extensive experience, including senior leadership roles at Foot Locker, Adidas and Fleet Feet, and his deep understanding of our product value, positions us to effectively serve this critical region.”
Hollowell added, “As a Volumental customer for three years and now a member of the team for almost as long, I’ve witnessed the consistently impressive impact of our solutions for footwear retailers. Rarely does a customer experience enhancer also deliver such a compelling return on investment.”
The North American expansion closely follows Volumental’s recent foray into China, targeting the burgeoning APAC market. In March, the company said it reached a milestone of scanning the feet of 20 million shoppers — which is 40 million individual scans of customers’ feet.
Earlier this year, Volumental said it was now beta testing a new self-service user interface, which allows in-store shoppers to use the company’s foot scanning technology and the AI-powered footwear recommendations — all without needing the help of a sales associate. “The beta testing has yielded strong results showing an improved in-store customer experience with more frequent visits and fewer merchandise returns,” the company said.
Founded in 2012 in Stockholm, Volumental utilizes 3D mapping and a proprietary algorithm to match customers with their ideal fit across brands and styles. Over 100 global brands and retailers, including New Balance, Fleet Feet, Red Wing Shoes, Bauer, The Athlete’s Foot, Stride Rite, Canada Goose and many more, have integrated Volumental’s technology in over 3,000 stores across 54 countries.
