Zappos.com and 6pm.com

We recently made some changes to some of our policies, and we’ve gotten a number of questions and comments from our customers about the changes. Some blogs have also discussed the changes, so rather than try to respond to every single blog, I thought it would be easier to explain the changes on the new CEO blog here on Zappos.

The 2 changes that seem to have gotten the most attention are: (1) Removal of our price protection policy. Zappos will no longer price protect competitor web sites. (2) Removal of our advertising and promotion of free overnight shipping. (We are still advertising free shipping, just not free overnight shipping.)

First, I’d like to thank everyone for all the feedback we’ve received. It’s actually through feedback from customers that we have decided to create 2 separate web sites, Zappos.com and 6pm.com. Here is an explanation of the difference between the 2 sites:

Zappos.com is for customers that want the very best customer service and the very best selection, with free shipping both ways, a 365-day return policy, and 24/7 customer service that’s above and beyond what you would normally find at any retailer anywhere.

6pm.com is for customers that are looking for a large selection of products at deep discounts. It’s not free shipping both ways, and the return policy is only 30 days. By reducing our costs, this means 6pm is able to offer really deep discounts, as much as 75% off. As we continue to add more selection to 6pm, look for even deeper discounts in the future.

We decided to remove our price protection policy from Zappos because we didn’t feel it was consistent with our goal of making Zappos customer service-focused as opposed to price-focused. We found that most of the customers that were using our former price protection policy would actually save even more money if we simply started out with more deeply discounted products in the first place. Instead of on Zappos, you’ll be able to find those deeply discounted products on 6pm.com.

Regarding our decision to stop advertising and promoting free overnight shipping on Zappos, it’s actually simply just that: a decision to stop advertising and promoting it, not a decision to actually stop doing it.

This means that the vast majority of our customers will still get their orders as quickly as they used to (usually overnight). The only difference is that we made the decision to not advertise or promise it, because we found that our customers were happier when they were surprised by the fast shipping. (Of course, if you’re reading this, it kind of ruins the surprise. So pretend you never read this.) So, if you order from us and choose the free shipping option, chances are that your order will come just as quickly as they did before!

(As a side note, just like before, occasionally our warehouse may run into hiccups. For example, a storm may prevent some of our employees from coming to work. If you pay for the overnight shipping option, your order will be given priority processing in our warehouse and guaranteed overnight delivery, even during those times when we run into hiccups.)

We’ve also been asked why we are referring some of our customers to our competitors. This is nothing new. It’s actually something that we’ve been doing for a long time (at least for the past 4 years), if we feel that it is in the best interest of the customer. For example, if we are out of stock of a particular style and a customer only wants that style, all of our reps are instructed to search on competitor web sites to try to find it for the customer. We believe that it’s better customer service if we do that, and that doing so is consistent with our customer service philosophy. We’re willing to lose a potential sale in order to be true to the Zappos brand.

We’ve had some customers point out that we would increase our sales if we advertised and marketed free overnight shipping as opposed to surprising customers with it. I think that’s probably true, but we decided that we wanted Zappos to be known as a customer service company, not a marketing company.

I hope this helps in explaining the recent changes we’ve made at Zappos. Thanks everyone who took the time to give us feedback!

Comments

479424630's picture
Jun 28, 2011 at 1:33 am JamieH58350 said:

Customer service is the best marketing strategy an organization should implement. This is one of the strongest point Zappos have.

Keep it up New Balance Toning Shoes

43362742's picture
Jul 21, 2011 at 12:48 pm Alex61741 said:

You can still have competitive pricing with other vendors and have great customer service. Customer service has never been an issue. You were always on top of your game. Now your pricing is no longer competitive with the actual vendors and that's important in today's competitive market.

465298233's picture
Sep 28, 2011 at 8:11 pm MARYS74630 said:

I have been a loyal customer for years. The customer service is impeccable . Love love the free overnight shipping . Which to me, makes up for the higher cost in some weird way . So when I needed a new pair of doc M. Zapppos was the site I went on. The next day came & went without receiving the shoes. Followed by another day of waiting. Now 3 days later , I thought I better check the site to see what's going on. Imagine my surprise when checking the tracking info , that my shoes are still in transit. After going back & reading the Zappos blogs. I found out the overnight shipping has been changed to "we will try ". This is unacceptable ! By the way , tomorrow is day 4 . So...with the higher cost and the 4-5 days shipping time . Even though it's free. Why Exactly should I shop at Zappos?

483613500's picture
Feb 27, 2012 at 2:15 am ShirleyB120865 said:

I just called into to customer service as a FIRST TIME customer. I had been looking at both Zappos and 6pm and since they show up in my browser as the same company. The idiot on the line did not help. Instead of telling me, "Oh Hi, 6pm is a branch of Zappos etc. She just treated me like I was brain dead. She says "What?-I don't understand?" PLEASE! So my first experience with both Zappos and 6pm will be my very last. Why wouldn't your SERVICE agents try to promote both sites?????Why aren't customer accounts linked? Why should a customer have to re-enter info time and time again? Instead I was left looking for ways to say your company's customer service REALLY needs reworking. The ONLY reason I even ended up purchasing was that I was STUCK with Zappos and 6pm is because my husband is a carpenter and a contractor and will only wear corduroy work shirts. After searching everywhere, I was literally STUCK with you. I would not have spent a dime with you, but had to to take care of my husband.

483613500's picture
Feb 27, 2012 at 2:17 am ShirleyB120865 said:

What company did you deal with because my experience sucked

483613500's picture
Feb 27, 2012 at 2:19 am ShirleyB120865 said:

I agree, I think they have to go back to square one and remember who pays their bills

483613500's picture
Feb 27, 2012 at 2:29 am ShirleyB120865 said:

Fark you! We don't want to be surprised when it takes 5 days to get our orders and we think it will be here in 1 day. That is the biggest load of scrap marketing trip I have ever ever heard!!!! Really!!!!, "Our customers would rather be surprised" NO NO bHell No! We are money paying consumers! We want to know what we are paying for and what we can COUNT ON!! That is what sells. NOT your fantasy "surprise" crab! Do you want to be "surprised" tomorrow by stepping in a pile of doo? bHell no you don't. And you know it. What a load of scrap that you are trying to sell your cost cutting as a farking "surprise" Oh God your co. smucks!!! Azzz!!!

478415213's picture
Mar 16, 2012 at 3:35 pm MichelleS125692 said:

I love Zappos and agree that the customer service is superior. I am always willing to pay a little extra for premium hassle free service. I really dislike when companies are willing to sacrifice their integrity and lower their customer service standards to gain a few extra sales.

466529219's picture
Apr 13, 2012 at 4:59 pm DanaO134508 said:

I was about to place an order for three pair of shoes that I needed by Tuesday. No overnight free shipping, no order for me! This is what kept me from purchasing cheaper elsewhere. Goodbye Zappos!!

485283854's picture
Jun 12, 2012 at 10:19 am MariaM151151 said:

Zappos is disabling all the users I create to buy from them just because they don't know how to resolve a transaction that ocurred 2 months ago. I paid through PayPal and for some reason PayPal cancelled payment to Zappos. Now PayPal is not able to resolve the issue and they say I should resolve directly with Paypal, and Zappos says they can't do anything to resolve the issue. Such a shame as I am a very loyal customer. The Customer Service Zappos is trying to give is not as they say. I spend 30 minutes or more every time I call zappos to resolve this issue and they say they can't do anything...

475591775's picture
Jul 6, 2012 at 5:45 pm EmmaV157783 said:

Zappis great customer service is the reason I shop with them. Ivan live without free overnight shipping. :)

477164504's picture
Jul 6, 2012 at 7:10 pm Dennisd157798 said:

I am a biased customer who NEVER leaves comments unless the service is THAT good. Just ordered a reversable long sleeve shirt here on sale last night and recieved it in LESS than 24 hours. I was stunned to see a package waiting for me when I returned home. I don't care who you are...if you deliver a package THAT fast for free, your in my diary! Love Zappos like no other. Items are always exactly what I expect and shipping has always been sweet! And the cute status update emails rock. If you order something you need in a few days- order it sooner..lol I mean come on! Do not change a thing Zapps.

486584512's picture
Aug 28, 2012 at 9:57 pm Chi168886 said:

No longer overnight or 2-3 days. I just ordered some shoes for an event that came up last minute and needed these shoes. Turns out I didn't read the policies and my shoes will altogether take 6 days to arrive. Now, they will be here 2 days late and I won't need them. Too bad, the one reason I went to Zappos is gone. Good while it lasted!

476650966's picture
Dec 10, 2012 at 4:26 pm Robert190261 said:

I love and respect the Zappos brand -- I am sorry they are no longer price matching but I will continue to support them though at times it may make some purchases go somewhere else. but to be fair I am going to get more serious about utilizing my Vip Status so I can hopefully make up the price differential largely due to having and ongoing commercial relationship with them. I think That zappos has a superior website and i hate it when I cannot for other reasons buy it at Zappos. Even though Zappos wants to provide great customer service and I totally applaud that, I do hope they remember that price is still a major factor and that shopping on the internet already has some difference from going into a physical location which I do not believe will ever be completely replaced. Never the less. I completely support Zappos not advertising as much because those who are smart shopper will find them as I have and will use them. I shop at both Zappos and at amazon and I like that if I want alternate place to purchase I can go through its sister companies of amazon or 6pm. I really hope that Zappos will continue its mission of being great at customer service and still at least strongly competitive on price however. During a time of Global economic difficulty and with places like MIT and others predicting another financial crash either highly likely or inevitable, depending on which credible institution you talk to, not wasting money is king. I also know that since demand is down world wide, I would hope that their buyers will work with vendors to reprice accordingly. Never the less I have a great deal of respect for both Zappos and the company that purchased them Amazon. The leaders of both companies are focused on much more than simply profit maximization by any means necessary including screwing over customers and that goes a long long way in my book. I just hope that they do not succumb to becoming a store for only the 1 percent which during the recession has actually gone on a buying spree because their increase in overall worth has grown by a factor of four while wages in the US an other developed countries have gone down. Clearly the focus on price for me is not generated by Zappos but I would like to see them as one of the good buys and part of the solution rather than one of the places that panders to those who found a way to get rich regardless of how they achieved it.

39656668's picture
Dec 17, 2012 at 10:31 pm Karen192457 said:

Soooo...what is the "perk" of being a "member" of Zappos VIP?? Initially, it was only through ordering at VIP.zappos.com that you were GUARANTEED free overnight delivery - on the "regular" Zappos site, it was an unexpected perk. Is the VIP site really just a scam now??

489216928's picture
Dec 23, 2012 at 12:04 am Bob193730 said:

6pm lied to me on numerous occasions and only after saying twice they sent items and asking if I wanted them sent, cancelled my order after three weeks and refunded money. Stick with Amazon the parent company