Seattle-Based OnlineShoes.com Celebrates 15th Anniversary by Unveiling Rebranding Campaign

SEATTLE, July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --  OnlineShoes.com opened its virtual doors as the first company to sell shoes online in 1996, but its legacy goes back more than forty years to the family shoe store established in 1968 by founder Dan Gerler's father in Seattle's Roosevelt neighborhood. The company is excited to be celebrating its 15th year with a renewed sense of purpose, simultaneously introducing a new brand vision and site enhancements that both honor its brick-and-mortar past while anticipating an ever-brighter future in e-commerce.

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"From the moment I sold my first pair, I realized how important it was for customers to purchase the product that best fitted their needs -- shoes that both looked great and felt great," says Gerler, who was only 11 years old at the time. "Shoes quite literally provide the foundation that gets us through each and every day. That's why we at OnlineShoes.com are obsessed with enhancing our customers' lives with comfort and confidence...from the ground up."

Similarly, the company's mission is anchored by a trio of brand pillars that form the foundation of OnlineShoes.com's retail philosophy: 'Heritage,' which builds on the company's history; 'Merchandise,' with a focus on comfortable, stylish footwear provided by the more than 250 top-quality brands featured on the site in plenty of hard-to-find sizes; and 'Shopping Experience.'

'Shopping Experience' covers everything from product reviews, recommendations and detailed product descriptions to providing a fun, easy-to-use website retail experience. Recent site enhancements have made this third brand pillar even better. After studying usability and evaluating customer feedback, a newly remodeled cart and checkout debuted on June 23. Since the launch, the average conversion rate for daily visits has increased by about 14%. Designed to enhance confidence, usability and satisfaction, the new cart/checkout keeps the customer informed by providing:

• Real-time shopping assistance messaging that helps customers correctly enter field information during checkout to avoid error messages.
• A more efficient shopping cart, including an early, easier implementation of promo codes and gift certificates.
• A clickable progress bar that easily orients customers throughout the checkout process.
• A clear security insignia and 'confidence zone.'
• The ability to see not only the cost throughout the process but a final total before entering any personal information.

Additionally, the entire site has been given an updated look with a contemporary new logo and color palette, redesigned navigation for even easier refinement, and 60% larger product images on search pages for better, clearer browsing.

While these enhancements have significantly elevated the shopping experience, the anchor of this third brand pillar remains the company's outstanding customer service. OnlineShoes.com is and always has been more than a place to buy shoes. It's where people go for comfort, style and confidence, with a level of personalized service that makes it still feel like the friendly neighborhood shoe store of its roots.

OnlineShoes.com consistently receives the highest marks for customer satisfaction. It was named a winner in the 11th annual Bizrate Circle of Excellence Awards, an honor recognizing only 2.7% of online retailers in the extensive Bizrate Insights North American Retail Network that provide outstanding customer experiences as rated by their own customers. The company also remains in the Elite customer service tier, the highest achievable, as ranked in an objective survey conducted by STELLAService: STELLAService is an independent company whose sole purpose is to measure and rate the customer service performance of online stores. Being in the top 3% of the largest e-commerce sites evaluated puts OnlineShoes.com in the lofty company of Zappos.com, REI.com and Amazon.com. Additionally, OnlineShoes.com continues to receive scores in the 95th percentile of all retailers in ForeSee Results customer satisfaction surveys.

The momentum and growth the company is experiencing makes OnlineShoes.com one of the most exciting places to work in the greater Seattle area. The executive team has recently attracted some highly experienced and talented new leaders who are excited about the company's vision and growth prospects. As a company that remains family owned, the OnlineShoes.com team isn't distracted by the whims of Wall Street, which allows them to focus on pleasing their customers and creating a fun, rewarding work environment for their own staff. 

"Happy team members who enjoy their work positively affect our customers' experience in a multitude of invaluable ways, which has been made even more evident with our new brand strategy," says Chief Marketing Officer Kevin Ertell. "We're not only clearly communicating our message to the customer, but also reinforcing it with our family here at OnlineShoes.com—a family we're looking forward to growing as business continues to expand."

About OnlineShoes.com: Established in 1996, OnlineShoes.com is the nation's first online shoe retailer. With a history that began decades ago in a family-owned corner shoe store, the company remains committed to delivering exceptional value and service. Featuring products from more than 250 name brands that best exemplify the company's commitment to comfort and style, OnlineShoes.com offers the latest high-quality footwear for men, women and kids, as well as clothing, bags and accessories. Customers are entitled to a 110-percent price guarantee, a 365-day return policy, and free shipping and exchanges on most orders. For more information, visit www.OnlineShoes.com.

For more information, please contact: [email protected].

SOURCE OnlineShoes.com