Online retailer, Zappos markets footwear, clothing and other
apparel accessories. Zappos was founded in 1999 by Nick Swinmurm; they
specialize in oddly sized, wide & narrow and unique footwear. Shoes account
for about 80% of their business. Eventually the growth of the online retailer
led to a buyout by Amazon in 2008.
Zappos has made various achievements but can also be recognized
for their social media involvement. They put prominence on generating
legitimate relations with their followers and patrons. See a capture of their
website below. It lists all of the primary social media connections. They ask
for customer email addresses for newsletter receipt and discount information. A
patron can follow Zappos on Instagram, which provides a visual connection with
the products and trends. There are also other quick links to Facebook, Twitter,
Pinterest and the Zappos blog.
Let’s
focus on their Facebook site and its effectiveness for a moment. We can see
that all roads intertwine. No matter what outlet you visit there is always the
opposing connection. Zappos specifically asks their customers to be a
“like-like” relationship. First you are asked to like their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/zappos, and
then it leads to adding your email to their bulk mailings and circles to other
outlets, so forth. This is an effective way to make sure that customers are
getting notification through as many outlets as they favor. US & World News
Reporter, Kimberly Palmer describes the Chief Executive Tony Hsieh as an “avid
Twitterer” (Palmer, 2010).
They
also employ a tactic that provides a specific set of content only after a
patron becomes a fan. It seems or becomes exclusive for those who enter or
sometimes share. A requested comments section lets a customer share their
opinions about products they’ve seen or purchased, which become unpaid
advertisement. Also, they focus on making a customer the spotlight each week
calling it “fan of the week” which encourages further connection and assures
the patrons that the customer is primary.
In
the nature of improvement I could suggest that Zappos move into a video media
platform as well. An idea that I like but am not sure exists is a widget where
customers could leave live testimonials. A customer could log in and post a
video to be reviewed by the company and the company could in turn post it to
one of their media platforms. People like to see the body language in a testimonial;
in times it speaks more truth than the words. It also shows that everyday
Americans are enjoying the conveniences of ordering from their homes with
success.
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