Watchdog, Choice, has conducted an online shoe shadow shop and found when it comes to speed of delivery, sizing information and free delivery; traditional bricks and mortar retailers David Jones and Myer were less effective than local online stores and two major UK sites.
“It’s incredible to think that a pair of shoes ordered from the UK can arrive on your doorstep in two days, twice as fast as the same pair of shoes ordered locally through David Jones,” Tom Godfrey of Choice said of the survey.
Choice looked at Asos, David Jones, Myer, Rebel Sport, Stringers, Styletread, The Iconic, and Wiggle to assess their overall performance for consumers when ordering shoes.
The retailers were compared on delivery cost, promised delivery, actual delivery, free return, ease of the returns process, and whether they offered convenient services like a delivery without signature, live chat, toll free number, sizing information, customer reviews, video of product, and zoomable product images.
“When it comes to speed of delivery Styletread and The Iconic were strides ahead. Styletread delivered the selected footwear in less than 24 hours, while the pair from The Iconic arrived the next day. Both also offer free delivery,” said Godfrey.
“Our shopper chose shoes using information provided by each site or, where there was no information provided, using her own shoes as a guide.
Of the shoes ordered, only the sports shoes and those from The Iconic fit properly. The others were too small or too big.
“If the shoe fits it will most likely be after you have ordered and returned a number of sizes. David Jones, Myer, Rebel and Stringers did not offer consumers the ability to access sizing information.”
“The superior performance by online retailers demonstrates why consumers should shop around to get the best deal. High end fashion launches don’t necessarily translate into first class service at the best price,” he said.
“With 75 per cent of online shopping in Australia still done via local sites, our findings show if local retailers want to maintain this significant market share they’ll need to match the services offered by international providers.”
