Footwear testing on real feet.
Comfort, fit, and break-in measured mile after mile — in the field, not on a last. Know how the shoe performs before the buy.
vs control
Custom field testing, sized and shipped for you
A shoe earns its review on the road, the trail, and the standing shift — not in a showroom. We put your pairs through real days on the right feet and capture comfort, fit, and wear as they actually happen.
Break-in tracking, sizing accuracy, support and durability, and value perception, with photo and video throughout. Sizing logistics handled end to end.
Turnkey, targeted, and fast
Three reasons footwear teams stop relying on the lab alone.
Recruitment, sizing, procurement, and fulfillment handled. Results in one dashboard.
60k+ Highlighters, 90% completion. Target by activity, gait, foot type, and category habits.
Catch a fit or comfort problem before the run, and cut time-to-insight by up to 50%.
How Hanes built wear testing into their innovation cycle
- Nothing goes to market without a wear test first
- Solved long-standing issues around cost, speed, and flexibility
- Real-wear feedback across fit, comfort, and durability
- A repeatable testing step inside the product process
Testing is a formalized step in our research process now.
Common footwear questions
What can you test for footwear products?
Highlight tests comfort, fit, and break-in over real days on real feet — running, standing, walking — plus sizing accuracy, support, durability, and value perception, with photo and video throughout.
How do you measure footwear comfort beyond a first try-on?
Highlight testers wear the shoe through actual use — a run, a shift, a commute — and report on break-in and comfort over time, not just the fitting-room feel.
Can you target specific activities or foot types for footwear testing?
Yes. Highlight lets you target by activity, gait, foot type, and category habits across the Highlighter Community, with 90%+ response rates.
How fast can you catch a fit or comfort issue before a footwear production run?
Most Highlight studies return results in about a week, cutting time-to-insight by up to 50% and giving you time to fix a fit issue before you commit to a run.
Do you handle sizing logistics for footwear tests?
Yes — Highlight’s proprietary logistics operation manages sizing, procurement, and fulfillment end to end, so the right pair reaches the right foot without extra coordination on your side.
The latest from Highlight
In the 2025 edition of the Highlight Sustainability Report, we look at year-over-year changes in the data from 2024 and explore how brands can create better products for people and the planet.
DownloadPrior to working with Highlight, the Hanes team faced issues related to cost, speed and flexibility. Now, nothing goes to market without a wear test first.
ReadIn this session from Highlight Spark, Spindrift VP Jon Silverman shares how to build a better-for-you brand people love.
Watch