practitioner’s hand forcing the foot downward and the
resistance from the foam pushing back up, mimicking the 2
force interaction when in motion.
• Orthotic Material Selection –
• Rigid orthotics – usually made from Subortholene or a
number of new plastics, rigid orthotics theoretically offer
the greatest amount of strength but run into problems
functionally. Orthotics are made for shoes, not the
other way around. And when an orthotic is too firm to
comfortably sit inside a shoe, the wearer will “feel” the
insert, and that is not an objective most practitioners set.
• Semi-rigid orthotics – usually made from a minimum of
2 layers of cushion and support, the semi-rigid orthotics
fit more naturally within a wider spectrum of footwear
especially with women’s footwear. A practitioner can
certainly get creative in the material selection but with the
consideration of footwear, the inserts are the foundation and
the shoe is the housing unit. They must work in unison.
• Rigid orthotics certainly have a place in the world of custom
inserts but when dealing with the typical customer/patient
needs, the symbiotic relationship between inserts and
footwear is the number one priority when manufacturing.
This information is important to create perspective in the
differentiation levels between the typical podiatrist visits
compared to you, the pedorthist.
Aside from the differentiation between a podiatrist and pedorthist
is your craftsmanship in manufacturing orthotics. A shoe is
meant to fit the customer’s foot; the orthotic should be a small
factor in fitting. So learning proper techniques in trimming a
custom insert is extremely important. Working in the retail field
offers the pedorthist a wealth of knowledge in the functionality
of footwear and that knowledge is absolutely required in the
manufacturing stage.
Orthotics – Pricing and Methods of
Payment
Another key differentiation point between the retail pedorthist
versus a visit to the podiatrist is price. When a patient visits a
doctor, there is a litany of paperwork, office visit fees, co-pays, etc.
that are obligatory before they walk in the door. With a retailer
(we sell ourselves) the customer has the upper hand and the
ultimate decision.
With that in mind, we suggest an up-front cost structure to the
customer, requiring the customer to pay a one-time price for a
set number of years of service. The key differentiation point here
is that the customer does not feel burdened by their visit when
an adjustment is needed, and often times it is an excellent way
to have them look for new footwear. If this price structure is
enacted, consider the additional costs of service over the lifetime
of the orthotic in the effort to not sell yourself short.
This overview is written to identify for you an opportunity of
differentiation and to create a competitive advantage over the big
box (or website) companies. Now more than ever, large brick
and click companies are struggling to find the proper balance of
price versus service. With this reality, the opportunity to create a
niche for yourself has never been better.
From my experience, this is what I have found makes a business
successful and profitable. There will always be an open debate,
especially on the merits of accommodative versus correctional
orthotics, but in the long run we as pedorthic professionals have
to find new ways to assist current and potential clients/patients to
benefit and create from future business profits.
References
1. http://247wallst.com/2013/01/29/eight-retailers-that-will-close-
the-most-stores/
If you are a retailer and considering expanding into the
greatest level of customer service in the industry, doing
your own manufacturing is necessary. A modest amount of
capital is required in purchasing the equipment needed for
manufacturing but the payoffs are huge. The time required in
manufacturing orthotics is the most costly in the entire process
and materials should be approximately 15-25% of the total cost of
manufacturing.
“...the customer does not feel burdened by their visit when an
adjustment is needed, and often times it is an excellent way to have
them look for new footwear.”
Current Pedorthics
March/April 2013
51