Online shoe seller Zappos tests out selling 1 shoe at a time, not a pair
The headline makes this sound strange, but it really isn’t. The idea is to better accommodate people with issues like amputations or different sized feet, which is pretty cool. It’s the sort of thing even I might use because of my busted up ankle. If I could easily get one shoe half a size bigger than the other in the same style, it could make things worlds easier on shoe shopping day. I still have no idea how people conveniently buy shoes online, but this is something.
Zappos is trying out new ways to sell shoes: allow shoppers to buy a single shoe at a time or purchase a pair in two different sizes.
The tests, which started Tuesday, are aimed at amputees, those with differing foot sizes and others who have been left out by the footwear industry, which has sold shoes in pairs and in the same size for decades.
Zappos said shoppers have been asking for the new options for years, but the requests grew stronger in 2017 when it launched its Zappos Adaptive site, where it sells clothing and shoes that are easier to put on or take off for people with ranging abilities.
The company, which is owned by online shopping giant Amazon.com Inc., said it’s working with six brands on the test, including Converse, New Balance and Nike.