Monday, January 5, 2009

Zappappointment

I've been on the hunt for a pair of casual kicks, dressy enough to wear in a decent bar but comfortable enough to run errands in them. I've been looking for months and I haven't been able to find anything that I like. It's driving me nuts. The worst part about it is that I had found the perfect pair of kicks last year but wore them out. 

It may come as a surprise to many of you but I don't like shopping all that much, especially during the holidays when everything is so crowded. I shop tactically, usually when I need something specific. Which is why I have found searching for these shoes so annoying. I have purchased stuff but nothing I've really been satisfied with. Too casual, too dark, not comfortable enough, not stylish enough, doesn't fit well etc etc etc. 

After visiting a few of the usual suspects – Nike, Puma, random shoe stores – I decided to try Zappos. I've heard nothing but awesome things from the blogsphere about them so thought why not. They have an incredible selection so I assumed that I would be able to find SOMETHING that I liked. Well, Zappos is great if you know exactly what you are looking for, including some detail. For the browser, it's a lot of work. 

  • The site has always felt cluttered to me. So much so that I have abandoned carts because I never feel sure that I've seen everything that I could have and started shopping in a more edited space.  
  • There's a lot of information that I wish I could turn off. 
  • It's difficult to slice/dice the selection in a way to cross categories other than having to sift through dozens and dozens of shoes. 
  • For some reason, the mannequins creep me out. 
I would love to...
  • Include lifestyle categories. I think it would be easier to navigate the selection if the categories were more customer centric. This could be user-generated by asking for what occasions did they buy their shoes. As an example, Casual Fridays and Dinner with Friends. That also makes it easier to merchandize the other products Zappos sells now. 
  • Build in a way to compare shoes. Right now, if I want to compare shoes, each product I'm interested in resides in its' own tab. I would love to do that in the same window. 
  • Focus on shoes. That's what the site is known for and I found it hard to find.  
  • It would be helpful to see shoes on a person with clothing or in motionAsos – a UK clothing retailer that my friend introduced me to – has catwalks [click the flashing bar under the picture] showing off their items and it really helps bring the stuff to life. 
As for my search, onwards and upwards. And back to the streets. 

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