On Running has opened its first global flagship store. Located in New York City’s NoHo, the store is designed to become, in time, a “seasonal hub” for runners and athletes. For now, it is serving digitalized personalization. “Hidden gait-cycle analysis” via a “custom-built invisible foot scanner” feeds customers’ size and “key run attributes” into a database containing about “52,000 runs” and every shoe the brand produces. The system will then recommend the right size and style with a tolerance of 1.25mm. A “Magic Wall” enables customers to browse the brand’s full collection, arranged by “performance attributes,” and retrieve information on any model by “tapping with an NFC-enabled device.” Selected shoes can be delivered to the checkout counter or by Dropship to a residence. The Apparel Alcove, as the name suggests, offers On’s line of apparel, with fitting rooms inspired by the Swiss Alps, augmented with alpine scents and sounds. There is also a “bio-based and recyclable 3D-printed boulder” that replicates a boulder in the Engadin valley, where On Running was born. Customers also have the option of scheduling a virtual appointment and have shoes or apparel to try on delivered to their residence in two to four hours.
Photo: © On Running
