Evolution of the Consumer

Anthropological evidence suggests that humans began using footwear of some kind 40,000 years ago. This is when the thickness of toes and other foot bones began change. Scientists, however, have no descriptions or drawings of what this footwear looked like until 10-17,000 years ago. No matter what the earliest footwear looked like, the unrelated (and cheesy) “You’ve come a long way, baby!” statement certainly can apply to footwear design from that time to the present day.

In fact, the last 20-30 years have seen a particular proliferation of shoe designs with style, material, tread design, performance parameters and other elements being varied widely.

A new trend that is expected to grow is that of embedding electronics in footwear to improve its functionality. With heated shoes, iPod connectivity in running shoes and similar initiatives, Nike and others have proven that customers are willing to add functionality to their footwear. Several of these footwear brands plan to add other capabilities based on electronics, and Select Sole’s technology is a leading candidate for these plans. The delivered benefit of Select Sole technology is “On Demand Traction” which allows a user to selectively deploy high traction studs, tips, cleats or other extensions from the bottom of the shoe and then retract them when not needed. This results in a functionality and flexibility as yet not achieved in the footwear industry.

Consumers choose their footwear based on a number of factors. For general use and casual footwear, the criteria they might emphasize include style, comfort, etc. For specific use and performance applications such as sports or hiking or fly-fishing, the criteria get much more specific, as is the case with workboots or other footwear that need to stand up to certain demands. Select Sole’s capabilities will benefit many of these categories where consumers need traction and flexibility in the treadwear on their feet. Going from a carpeted floor indoors to a slick pavement outside makes one wish for different pairs of shoes on the feet…Select Sole can provide that in one pair.

We expect our customers to come from all walks of life and to have different demands of our On Demand Traction System. From golfers, hikers, runners and roofers…to policemen, hospitality workers, climbers and walkers…good traction is critical to all. The Select Sole system can extend and retract the exact device that satisfies the needs of these diverse users. The opportunity is as broad as it is large in satisfying this varied demographic with a novel and compelling solution.