zappos

Five Luxe Car Brands Cited By J.D. Power as Service "Champions."

Five luxury automobile brands were in the top 40 brands ranked by J.D. Power and Associates in its annual Customer Service Champions report.

Jaguar, Lexus, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Lincoln all made the list. They were joined by two other luxury brands: hoteliers Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton.

Non luxe brands included in the top 40 were Zappos.com, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and retailer Cabelas.

Brands that receive the J.D. Power Customer Service Champions designation are among the top 5 percent of more than 800 evaluated brands, based on their performance in five key areas identified as the J.D. Power 5 Ps: People, Presentation, Price, Product and Process.

Tags: cadillac, four seasons, j.d. power, jaguar, lincoln, mercedes-benz, ritz-carlton, zappos

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Cooking Star Nadia G Headlines Zinfandel Festival

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Events

This year's ZAP Festival sponsored by Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) celebrates 20 years of "inspiration." The annual festival takes place each winter in San Francisco. This year's ZAP festival takes place from January 27-29th.

This year's festivities include rising cooking star Nadia G who has a show, Bitchin' Kitchen on the new Cooking Channel. Nadia G kick off the festivities at Good Eats and Zinfandel Pairing on January 27th at 6:00 p.m., doing a demo in The Zin Kitchen, where she'll cook up a storm in cherry-red stilettos. On January 28th, she'll take part in the Evening with the Winemakers, and on January 29th, she'll cut the ribbon and blog live at the Grand Zinfandel Tasting event beginning at 2:00 p.m.

The ZAP 20th Annual Festival presents four events in three days with around 250 wineries showcasing Zinfandel, America's Heritage Wines. Producers pour their barrel samples and new releases during educational seminars, culinary demonstrations and food pairings culminating in the Grand Tasting at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco. Tickets are $70 for non-ZAP members and include your ZAP wine tasting glass (and a much-needed mini loaf of bread). Then get ready for all the Zin you can handle. More details about this fun and festive event are available at the ZAP website.

Tags: nadia g, wine festival, wine festivals, zappos, zinfandel, zinfandel festival

Luxist Giveaway: Win a Zappos Gift Card

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags, Jewelry, Shoes, Holiday Guides, Children, Men's Style

You know you've been browsing Zappos on your lunch hour under the guise of holiday shopping for friends and family, but admit it, you always see a little something you'd love too, and you slip it into your cart. I do the same thing. You've learned that whether you're shopping for yourself or for someone else for the holidays, or any time, Zappos is your go-to place. Much more than just shoes, the easy-to-shop (and fun-to-shop) site also offers clothing, bags, housewares, and watches, and even beauty products, eyewear, jewelry, and sporting goods, for men, women, and kids. You can't beat the free shipping and free 365-day return policy, either. Check out the Holiday Gift Guide for ideas!

Here's some more good news. Luxist wants to make things easier on you and your wallet this month. Our great friends at Zappos offered us one $100 gift card to give to a lucky reader selected at random. To enter, follow the instructions below.

* Leave a confirmed comment below telling us what one item from the site you would love to buy for yourself or for someone else.
* The comment must be left and confirmed no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on December 14, 2010.
* One entry per person. Multiple entries will be disqualified.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing and notified by e-mail.
* One winner will receive a $100 gift card for use on Zappos.com, to be delivered by postal mail.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

See the complete rules here.

The contest is closed. The winner will be notified by e-mail by December 17. Thanks for participating!

Tags: apparel, beauty, clothing, eyewear, free, gift card, gift cards, giveaway, giveaways, handbags, shoes, sporting goods, watches, Zappos

Steve Madden's Contest-Winning Shoe, Exclusively at Zappos

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes

Steve Madden's Contest-Winning Shoe, Exclusively at Zappos

Last year, Zappos partnered with Steve Madden for the Steve Madden Sole Search contest. Shoe lovers and Steve Madden lovers alike were encouraged to enter their original designs for a chance to have it produced by Madden himself. There were almost 3,900 entries, and the winning shoe, now named the Steve Madden "Figgy," is available exclusively at Zappos.

This is definitely a go-out shoe that will garner attention! Details: side-zip closure, suede upper with bow detail, contrasting leather lining, lightly cushioned leather footbed, reptile-embossed platform and heel, leather sole, 4.5" heel with a 1" platform. $169.95

Tags: contest, Figgy, shoes, Steve Madden, Zappos

Luxury Trends for 2011: The Latest From The Luxury Institute

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

The Luxury Institute conducts independent research with wealthy consumers about their behaviors and attitudes on customer experience best practices. Their white papers on luxury trends and consumer attitude change emerge consistently throughout the year. The most recent was published on October 10, 2011, on emerging luxury trends for 2011..

The Institute states, " As the luxury industry enters the last quarter of 2010 and prepares for 2011, executives are grateful for what could have been a worse year considering the state of the world's economy. The truly global top-tier luxury brands are surging in China, while holding their own in the US, Japan, and Europe. Leading public companies have done much better than privately-owned brands by using their heritage, innovation, and resources to gain market share. Many family-owned European brands, rich with history but lacking innovation, have suffered and are desperately looking for capital. Overall, the industry has seen tepid growth; this trend is likely to continue for the next three years unless some unforeseen, and highly unlikely, positive event occurs and saves the global economy."

Tags: IPad, ipads, Jean-Noel Kapferer, luxury brand management, luxury brands and e-commerce, Luxury Institute, Luxury Institute 2011 Trends, Luxury Institute LCRMA Association, luxury trends, trends, trendspotting, Zappos

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Delivering Happiness: Tony Hsieh On Thinking Outside The (Zappos Shoe) Box

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books

Tony Hsieh ( pronounced SHAY) is not yet a household word, like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet or Steve Jobs. But if given a few more MONTHS, he probably will be. And, he might already be to those UNDER a certain age -- say, 35. This is an admittedly arbitrary number, but in terms of the mindsets of youthful entrepreneurs, they know Tony, age 37. He is a serial entrepreneur, who founded Link Exchange while he was an undergraduate at Harvard, and eventually sold it to Microsoft for $265 million in 1998. He eventually became involved with Zappos -- the online shoe retailer in 1999, and came on board full time in 2000.
Under his leadership, Zappos has grown gross merchandise sales from $1.6 million in 2000 to over $1.billion in 2008. And, in 2009, he sold Zappos to Amazon for $850 million, a deal now worth more that $1 billion, due to Amazon's stock appreciation.
He has recently written a book, Delivering Happiness, that chronicles his early personal and professional challenges and successes, that led him from starting a worm farm when he was eleven, to becoming the CEO of one of the most successful 21st century companies thus far.

Somewhere between 2000 and 2009, Zappos became much more than a place to buy and sell shoes online. It became a rara avis -- a company, led by Tony, that envisioned as well as operationalized change, defining a strategic movement from a corporate to consumer-centric focus, creating new parameters of customer service along the way. These range from offering to pay employees to quit after a short time if they were not happy with their jobs, offering customers free shipping both ways and a year to make returns, and hiring 24/7 phone reps who are as courteous, empathic, upbeat, and knowledgeable as any missionary, psychotherapist, or high end hotel concierge. These are are all part of the Zappos revolutionary 21st century methodology that underscore the transparency and humanity of Zappos 10 core values. These values are the essential identity and root system of the Zappos culture : simple, yet profound, they are the e=Mc2 of a more transparent, 21st century business ethos:

l. Delivering WOW through service
2.Embrace and drive change
3.Create fun and a little weirdness
4.Be adventurous, creative and open-minded
5.Pursue growth and learning
6. Build open and honest relationships through communication
7.Build a positive team and a family spirit
8. Do more with less
9.Be passionate and determined
10. Be humble.

Tags: delivering happiness, tony hsieh, zappos

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"Designer Day" Sale at 6pm.com, July 22

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Timepieces / Watches, Shoes, Men's Style

Set a reminder on your PDA and in Outlook, put a Post-It on your desk and the fridge ... Thursday, July 22, is Designer Day at 6pm.com, the site where serious shoppers can go for a daily fix of name brands, up to 75% off every day. 6pm is a sibling site to Zappos.

As part of a weeklong summer sale, 6pm is having one day with the following brands marked down even further than its already low prices: Donald J Pliner, up to 75% off; Giuseppe Zanotti, up to 70% off; Stuart Weitzman, up to 70% off; Juicy Couture Swimwear, 70% off; Marc by Marc Jacobs Swimwear, 60% off; designer sunglasses, up to 85% off; and designer watches, up to 75% off.

Also check out the sales on the other days that week (Sunday, July 18 - Saturday, July 24) on summer, fall and winter apparel; footwear; and accessories.

Tags: 6pm, 6pm.com, designer, sale, shoes, sunglasses, watches, Zappos, Zappos.com

Burberry Espadrille, Perfect for Summer

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes

There's a heat wave attacking the East Coast, with 100+ temps, and most shoes are just too warm to endure. Enter the classic espadrille, Burberry-style. Zappos carries the iconic shoe in its Couture section. Available in a pretty Tea Rose color, the shoe features a textile upper, braided rope edging, contrast-colored ankle strap tie, leather lining, leather sole, 4 1/2" heel wedge for easy walking and 1 1/2" platform for extra support. Lovely with a breezy skirt or dress. $495 but on sale now for $396.

Tags: Burberry, espadrille, espadrilles, sandals, shoes, Zappos

$1.6 Million Mistake Means No Ice Cream For Zappos CEO

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Some lucky shoppers at Zappos.com sister site 6pm.com got a deal on Friday when a pricing error capped all prices at $49.95. The Las Vegas Sun reports that the website lost $1.6 million due to the error because at that price many items were sold at under cost. Zappos has decided to honor all sales that took place during that time period. Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh took the news in stride with his usual good humor tweeting "$1.6 million mistake on sister site @6pm_com. I guess that means no ice cream for me tonight."

The silver lining to the mistake might be the added publicity to 6pm.com The site offers "online outlet shopping" promising savings of up to 75% off. It includes shoes, clothing and accessories from brands like Nike, Oakley, Nine West and others for women, men and children.

Tags: 6pm.com, online shopping, tony hsieh, website error, zappos, zappos.com

Blogging From The American Express Publishing Luxury Summit: Tony Hsieh on Delivering Happiness

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Monday's American Express Publishing Luxury Summit panel sessions began with a swell of music and slides with buzzwords like provenance and human interaction--- the message again, echoing last night's talk was that luxury is "back" but in a new slightly refined way.

"Innovation isn't a luxury, it's a necessity" said Ed Kelly, the President and Chief Executive Officer of American Express Publishing and as if to show proof of this the Luxury Summit offers attendees the use of an iPod Touch. The Touch has a designated Luxury Summit app. The app allows people to vote on polls, ask questions of the speakers in real time and generally navigate the Summit. It's a neat idea and a real sign that luxury is dragging itself into tech, ready or not.

Up first on the presentation schedule was Tony Hsieh, the president of Zappos and author of the new book "Delivering Happiness." Zappos was bought by Amazon last year in a deal closed in December. Instead of blending Zappos into Amazon (what usually happens to the brands Amazon gobbles up), Zappos continues to run independently and define its own unique corporate culture which is part of the subject of Hsieh's book. One of the reasons that Zappos has had such rapid growth is that it does things a little differently than some other online purveyors. The core of Zappos remains the call center and the quality of the customer interaction is the yardstick by how Zappos measures success.

Tags: american express publishing, luxury summit, zappos

Continue reading “Blogging From The American Express Publishing Luxury Summit: Tony Hsieh on Delivering Happiness”

Designer Shoe Sale at 6pm.com, February 3-9

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes, Men's Style

If you say "shoes" and "sale" in the same sentence, I start to feel a little lightheaded with excitement. If you do too, check out 6pm.com's designer shoe sale, starting on February 3 and going through February 9. 6pm is a sister site to our beloved Zappos and offers many styles from Zappos once they move off that site.

Each day will have a sale on a certain brand, with shoes for both men and women in some lines. Here are a few examples: February 3, Circa Joan & David (60% off); February 4, Donald J. Pliner (75% off), Mephisto (60% off), and Betsy Johnson (60% off); February 5, Ed Hardy (60% off); February 6, Kenneth Cole Reaction (all styles $50 or less); February 7, Cole Haan (60% off); February 8, Stuart Weitzman (60% off); and February 9, the big finish, Bruno Magli (75% off).

Tags: 6pm, 6pm.com, designer shoes, DesignerShoes, shoe, shoe sale, shoes, ShoeSale, Zappos

Win a Zappos Gift Card

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags, Services, Cosmetics and Fragrance, Shoes, Holiday Guides, Men's Style

When Zappos offered Luxist a $50 gift card, I jumped at the chance. I had a lot of fun browsing the site, which started out as a shoe mecca and now includes bags, clothing, housewares, and beauty items. The tough part was making a choice. I gave in to footwear trends and bought a pair of chocolate brown UGG boots, chipping in the rest of the price on my own, of course.

Then I thought, what about Luxist readers? So I asked Zappos if it would offer a $50 gift card to one reader, and the nice folks there agreed. Use the card to buy a gift for someone else, or for yourself. Or just save it until you need something. The card doesn't expire and doesn't incur fees.

Some other important details:
* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed by December 25, 2009 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive a Zappos Gift Card valued at $50.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

See complete contest rules here.

The contest has ended. Thank you for your participation. The winner will be notified on December 28, 2009.

Tags: beauty, clothing, gift card, gift certificate, GiftCard, GiftCertificate, giveaway, handbags, holiday, shoes, Zappos

Zappos Opens the Door to Its VIP Club, Four Days Only

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags, Services, Cosmetics and Fragrance, Shoes, Men's Style

Shoe paradise Zappos is opening the doors to its VIP Club during a special four-day window from Black Friday, November 27, through Cyber Monday, November 30. Starting at 12:01 a.m. on Friday and lasting until midnight on Monday only, log onto to the special holiday VIP Club page and join for free, overnight shipping forever.

My love for Zappos has been documented on this site, plus all my friends and family know too. I am a hazard to my budget when I get within an inch of the site. But keep watching my posts on Luxist for more from Zappos, including great holiday gift ideas -- Zappos also carries bags, clothing, housewares, beauty items, and more -- a gift card giveaway, design contests, and more about its Couture section, which is what Luxist readers really care about, right?

UPDATE: The holiday VIP promotion has ended, but you can join Zappos's VIP waiting list here.

Tags: apparel, beauty, clothing, clubs, handbags, shoes, VIP, Zappos

Masai Barefoot Technology Shoes -- Dorky Chic?

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes

Last year I started seeing MBT shoes all over the place. I thought they were kind of dorky (I still do, a little) but they looked comfortable and I figured there must be a reason they were so popular. NYC women, and many women the world over, will forgo comfort for fashion when it comes to shoes. I learned that the MBT craze likely has something to do with the fact that, like the FitFlop, these shoes promise a boost in the wearer's fitness level. And just in time for spring, the line has some new styles. At Zappos, women's styles range from $390 for a boot to $150 for a Mary Jane. For the men, high price is $270 for a tie shoe to $150 for a fisherman's sandal. View women's styles and men's styles at Zappos. See the gallery for a few women's styles -- though it's hard to tell them apart from the men's.

Gallery: Masai Barefoot Technology Shoes -- Dorky Chic?

Tags: comfort, fitness, Masai, MBT, shoes, Zappos

Taryn Rose Carrie Deerskin Satchel, Handbag of the Day

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Taryn Rose, known for high-end but comfortable footwear, has a few handbags in its line. I love this one -- I think green is almost as neutral as black. The Carrie Deerskin Satchel features dual handles with a drop of 6.5", lace-up detail, hardware accents, a top zip closure, a platform bottom with feet, and a satin interior lining with a back wall zip pocket and multifunctional slip pockets. Dimensions are 12.5" W x 5.5" D x 8.5" H. $959, but on sale now at Zappos for $575.

Gallery: Taryn Rose Carrie Deerskin Satchel, Handbag of the Day