I love Zappos.com. Everyone has heard of this uber--online-shoestore that boasts an amazing selection and over-the-top excellent customer service. However, just like a trip to the local mall, shopping at Zappos can be overwhelming, tiring, and frustrating. There's too much, and the design of the site itself is pedestrian and feels almost like shopping at WalMart. Even Zappos Couture is not eye candy. Let me share a couple of other options for fulfilling that Spring shoe lust: Solestruck.com and Endless.com.
Solestruck is beautifully designed and user-friendly. When I put a shoe that I like in my online shopping cart ("shoe box") in a size 9, the next time I click on a thumbnail photo of a shoe to look at close-up, the site automatically serves up the closest size to 9 that's available. Like Zappos, it offers free shipping and returns on standard orders. Unlike Zappos, Solestruck includes pre-paid UPS labels right insde of the shipping box for ease of use - no downloading required. Also speeding the return process are the printouts of returns forms that are included as packing slips with each order.
Most helpful for me is the price I paid for each pair on the packing slip - I hate having to go online to Zappos.com to see what the price of the shoe I'm trying on is. How else am I going to decide if I love it enough to keep it at that price? Jeffrey Campbell and Vince Camuto are two of my fave designers from the site. The designer list is manageable in that in one (loooong) online shopping spree I can browse all the designers on the site.
Endless.com (in Beta) also features better usability than Zappos.com in the online shopping experience. After clicking on a thumbnail of a shoe, one tab opens up that features a very large close-up of the shoe, all the alternative views in thumbnail size, all of the colors of that style in thumbnail size, and all of the available sizes in that style. No more falling in love with a shoe and then when you click on the "add to cart" it says it's not available in your size!
Even nicer is the feature where you move the mouse over the large view and it automatically zooms on the bit where you are looking. Endless has figured out how to minimize the number of mouse clicks to make a purchase decision - heaven for a heavy online shopper like me. My favorite on Endless is a new line called Pour La Victoire, which features beautiful stylish shoes at (mostly) under $200 a pair. Right now they are featuring a Shipping Special where Overnight Shipping is a NEGATIVE $5 - they pay you for overnight shipping. Can't beat that!
Photo: Chocolate candy shoes by Paula LeDuc for the Politically Incorrect Valentine's Ball
OMG I totally love Solestruck.com too! I shop there a lot. Did you know they also have a blog? It's called Solevoice ... go to http://blog.solestruck.com. Plus, I've heard that oftentimes when you comment on the blog for the first time, they'll email you with a discount code to use on your next order!
Posted by: Gwenelle | February 15, 2008 at 10:28 AM
Geez, thank goodness someone else pointed out the obvious. It is too much on Zappos. I feel like I am shopping in someone's garage sale but paying Neiman Marcus prices!! If I am shopping for beautiful things, I want a beautiful experience. If I am downgrading to save on certain items, I expect to have a less than pleasant esthetic experience, not pay luxury prices for a drugstore exprience.
I thought I was the only person on the planet who loved solestruck.com and endless.com for their selection and browsability:-)
Posted by: Patty | March 05, 2008 at 02:01 PM
Solestruck has a darling selection for spring. I'd love to be able to include width in the search criteria at Solestruck - I'm not sure they carry narrow sizes at all. Boo for me...
The Endless site is wicked fast and navigates like a dream. I just wish they'd keep beefing up their selection. I have enough "comfort shoes," thanks.
Sadly, Zappos still gets my business, because they carry narrow widths and a good selection of Stuart Weitzman and Donald J. Pliner. The site is sooo darn fugly, though. I really hope they'll hire some engineers from Endless - and the designer from Solestruck. ;-)
Posted by: chi | March 06, 2008 at 05:21 PM
Love my new Stuart Weitzman Coventry sandals got through Zappos with shipping by using a coupon.
Posted by: Eldon | March 13, 2008 at 10:12 PM