Who offers you the best footwear- Shoes.com or Zappos?

Shoes.com, the largest online retailer of footwear, features an exclusive collection of men's shoes, women's shoes, kid's shoes and other accessories from some of the most popular brands, such as Adidas, Charles David, Cole Haan, Johnston & Murphy, Kenneth Cole, Merrell, New Balance, Reebok, Rockport, Steve Madden, Timberland, and others. The website hosts an extensive array of footwear including athletic shoes, sandals, dress shoes and boots. Shoes.com is part of the Brown Shoe Company, one of the leading consumer-driven footwear companies in the U.S.

The website enables interested customers to browse the various categories, departments and brands, the price ranges, sizes, colours, new products and items for sale. Shoes.com also offers free shipping, free return shipping, and 115% guaranteed prices. The website showcases the hottest brands and styles, ranging from sandals, flip-flops and espadrilles to the trendiest designer shoes. The athletic selection essentially comprises shoes for every kind of sport, from athletics to golf. Customers can also browse through the ‘popular products' section which would help them decide what to buy.

However, shoes.com has a stiff competitor to deal with - Zappos.com, the electronic commerce company based in Henderson, Nevada. Established in 1999, Zappos is a global leader in online shoe sales and hosts a wonderful selection of the coolest, snazziest Men's and Women's Athletic shoes, Casual Shoes and Dress shoes, Kids shoes, apparels, accessories, eye wear, watches and Couture and Designer Collection from the most popular global brands. Unlike Shoes.com, Zappos provides free shipping both ways, a 365-day return policy, and 110% price protection. Zappos gained annual revenue of $597 million in merchandise sales in 2006, and is set targeted to achieve an incredible $800 million this year.

Zappos has expanded its list of accessories from shoes, handbags and purses, to the Zappos Couture,a second line of fashionable, high-quality shoes. Zappos aims to set its mark in the niche shoe markets with its narrow and wide widths, hard-to-find sizes, vegetarian shoes, and Zappos exclusives. Customers can browse the products on the basis of various categories such as department, lifestyle, brand list, size, trends and latest styles. The number of products they sell continue to grow each year.

Nayanathara S.

Hi-Tech Editorial Division