Sunday, April 22, 2007

Shoe and Handbag Mecca

Maybe a couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Amazon.com with a subject line that promised "something new in online shopping". I do tend to read the Amazon emails I receive because they are pretty good about recommending things that make sense for me, based on my previous purchases. As I was catching up on personal email this weekend, I finally got around to actually opening this email and I'm SO glad I did!

Amazon has unveiled the beta version of a new online shopping experience, Endless.com. I refer to it as an "experience" because it's much more than a typical shopping web site. The site is focused on shoes and handbags at the moment and the selection is pretty phenomenal.

What's best, however, is the technology they've used to allow a user to narrow down his/her search in a progressive way. ("I want ballet flats, in black, size 7.5, from Kenneth Cole.") And voila! There are your choices. You can also narrow your search by price range and by heel height (so clever!). Once you're on the item's individual product detail page, you can see multiple views and there is a VERY cool in-page zoom tool that lets you check out every little detail of the product.

AND to top it all off, Endless has a great promotion running right now where they pay you $5 for the "privilege" of shipping your order overnight. Love it.

So, of course, I HAD to test this all out for myself (purely in the name of online research) and my new black flats should be delivered straight to my doorman's hands on Monday.

2 comments:

Cathy K said...

Hey, have you ever gone to:
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/
More geared towards outdoor things but has, once in a while, handbags and portfolios (usually Italian).

Has a decent search engine, not as sophisticated as what you described, but works nonetheless.

Has loads of designer stuff at up to 80% off (they have a section called Bargain Barn that is at least 60% off). It's like a clearance centre so you have to check often and stock is limited. BUT when Emmett ate Connie's 400 dollar hiking boots that she only wore twice, I found the exact pair at Sierra for $29.95!

Unknown said...

I bought my josef seibel shoes in a offer price...iam satisfied.