Even the most ardent of shoe lovers would perhaps think twice before buying a shoe online. Most would want to physically try the footwear before purchasing it. But what if technology allows e-commerce sites to comfort users by allowing them to try the footwear virtually?

BENGALURU: Nestled in a narrow lane in South Bangalore is a startup that has developed a virtual trial room for the feet — to find an exact fit through selfies. Not surprisingly, Findmeashoe.com is in talks with all major e-commerce firms in India, as well as a few global shoe brands, for partnerships. With three pictures of your foot, the startup can assess the right fit, with a 95% accuracy. “We digitised the art of fitting into the pseudo-science of fitting,” said co-founder and chief executive ..

The shoe often pinches, literally, because of poor design. The poor fit of shoes sent three engineers – Shabari Raje, Anand Ganesan and Mukul Kelkar – on a sole-searching mission around the world.

They found no promising solution and launched findmeashoe.com, a service with a focus on the online retail footwear market, estimated at ₹7,200 crore in 2015.