Runnersworld piloted Utilitarian across 5 stores from August to December 2025. In January 2026, Runnersworld committed to 12 months of ongoing use. The programme has since expanded to 9 stores. Programme totals now exceed 1,000 customers and 1,500 scans.
Runnersworld has collected shoes with FastFeetGrinded since 2016 — an estimated 100,000+ pairs. Customers brought in old shoes, store teams boxed them, FastFeetGrinded collected. A weight report came back. The interaction ended there.
We added a data layer to the moment that was already happening. The customer still hands in their shoes. The box still goes to FastFeetGrinded. What changed is what happens in between.
The pilot resulted in a committed partnership for 2026, with expansion across additional stores and product categories.
In April 2026, Utilitarian deployed with FastFeetGrinded at the NN Marathon Rotterdam. ASICS EMEA hosted the activation at their expo stand at the marathon village. Runners brought worn racing shoes, of any brand and any condition, photographed the shoe, registered the model and condition, and left an email for a follow-up.
The activation proved a capability the permanent in-store deployments do not. A platform that runs on a customer's mobile phone, with product recognition handled on the back end, does not need fixed hardware. The same flow that works at a permanent retail counter works in a tent at a finish line.
Event-context take-back is a different commercial conversation. The lead arrives at peak product affinity, the venue context is unambiguous, and the activation window is bounded. Brand partners interested in event deployments can get in touch.
"The steps were self-explanatory. Customers responded positively. Customers are very curious about what actually happens to the shoes."
"We even see customers coming back specifically to hand in their shoes and collect their reward — which shows the system is working very well in terms of building loyalty and repeat visits."
"What makes this data valuable is not just transparency, but control. For the first time, we can link consumer returns at retail directly to operational circular outcomes."
"The combination of simplicity, customer engagement, and data-driven transparency is what makes this approach stand out. This is exactly the direction our industry needs."
The pilot proved the model works at store level. For 2026, the partnership continues — rolling out to additional Runnersworld and INTERSPORT stores. The infrastructure is poster-based and QR-driven, so expanding means printing more posters, not deploying more technology.
Beyond running shoes, the platform supports additional product categories including textiles and electronics. The EU Battery Regulation is also creating take-back requirements that apply across multiple retail divisions.
No forms. No sales funnel. Just a conversation about whether this fits your business.
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