Zappos: Bridging The Customer Experience Gap

I was looking for a pair of shoes.  Something fairly particular.  After a bit of searching I came across a brand I liked.  No reason to name names.  

I scoured their website, found the pair I liked and decided I needed to try them on before ordering.

Only problem is I couldn't find a retail locator on their site.  So I found their Twitter handle and asked very politely, twice, if someone could help me find a retailer in Chicago.

Crickets.

Then I sent an email asking the same thing.

Crickets.

Finally I walked Michigan Avenue and found a department store that carried the brand.  They had the shoe, but not my size.  But no big deal - I had confirmed my choice.

So I did what I always do - ordered them from Zappos.  Came the next day.  As sure of a sure bet out there.

I love the shoes.  Would probably buy another pair.  This, despite having a pretty poor experience with the brand (really, no experience at all).

The moral here is that a lot of companies have Zappos to thank for bridging the customer experience gap. I hope they realize that.  Both Zappos and the brands they sell. 

Comments

[Carol L. Weinfeld]

Hopefully the brand will improve its customer service and website. Your experience increased Zappos' brand equity.

@clweinfeld

[Daniel Honigman]

It'll be interesting to see how (if at all) Zappos' customer service will change, since the company's philosophy is VERY different from Amazon's.