Reviews of the Online Shoe Store
While many of the brick and mortar stores we patronize every day carry shoes, due to space limitations, they often don’t carry the widest selection of sizes and styles.
Perhaps this is one reason that shopping for shoes online is becoming more popular every day — despite the fact that you can’t try the shoes on before you buy.
Zappos.com is one of the web’s most popular online shoe stores and is helping many consumers change the way they think about shopping for shoes.
Pointing and Clicking Your Way to the Perfect Shoes at Zappos
By far, my favorite feature of Zappos is the ease with which you can find a pair (or one hundred pairs) of shoes that are exactly what you’re looking for.
When starting at the Zappos homepage, you can browse through various categories, as narrowly or as broadly as you desire.
For example, you might click on “Women’s Shoes” and be taken to a page where you can choose from “Dress,” “Casual,” or “Athletic.” But at Zappos, the options don’t end there. In the “Dress Flats” category alone, you can choose from 11 sub-categories, such as “Sling-Backs,” “Loafers” or “Mary Janes.”
When you’ve made your selection, you can then choose to display shoes in a certain size, color, width, heel height, or price.
Zappos User Feedback Helps with Tough Decisions
Another great feature that sets Zappos apart from the crowd is its user surveys and reviews.
When you find a shoe you’re considering purchasing, it certainly helps to know that 85% of the people surveyed believed it to “feel a half size smaller than marked,” or whether or not it felt “true to width,” and Zappos provides this information through their user surveys.
Zappos’ user reviews are also a huge help. Knowing before you order how other people feel about their purchase can help make your decision a lot simpler.
Zappos Fast and Free Shipping on All Orders
How many times have you thought you found a great deal online, only to find out that by the time you pay for shipping, it would be cheaper to just buy it locally?
Since Zappos offers free standard shipping, you can receive your order in 4-5 days – I’ve even received free, surprise “shipping upgrades” that got my shoes to me in two days, for absolutely no shipping cost, with no minimum order.
Zappos.com’s Free 365-Day Return Polices Take the Pain Out of Online Shoe Shopping
To answer the questions that are on the minds of every reader who has never purchased shoes online: “What do I do if the shoes don’t fit?” … “What if I don’t like them?” … etc.
Zappos offers a 365 day, free return policy – you don’t even pay to ship to return or exchange the shoes.
By simply going back to Zappos.com and logging into your account, you can easily print out a return label for UPS or USPS.
However, be certain when trying your new shoes on, to only wear them on carpeted surfaces. To return the shoes to Zappos, they must be in the same condition as they were when you received them.
Transition at Zappos.com
Since this review was written, Zappos.com has made a lot of changes to their site: they’ve added clothing, accessories, and electronics, and the structure of the site has changed as well.
I have no problem with expansion, and I’m sure most people will agree that having a bigger selection from a company they trust is a good thing. However, I am having a difficult time adjusting to some of the navigational changes they’ve made recently.
It could just be that I’m a creature of habit, but I miss the old layout.
I know the transition isn’t complete, so I’m reserving judgment until it is, at which time, I’ll review the site again.
In the meantime, I’m trying to look at it objectively, and keep in mind that great customer service, improved search functionality, and an unparalleled selection are worth the effort of adjusting my mindset. After all, sometimes change is a good thing, right?