The Other Shoe Store Drops: Amazon Launches Endless.com

Not content to sell exclusively through their standard interface, Amazon has launched “Endless.com,” a store dedicated to shoes and handbags in a move that is certainly aimed at taking a chunk of online shoe retailer Zappos’ business. Like Zappos, Endless will pay for return shipping if your shoes don’t fit (for up to a year). They are also taking advantage of Amazon’s massive shipping capability by offering a five-dollar discount to anyone who chooses overnight shipping. (Zappos has responded with free overnight shipping.)

Ironically, while the Zappos interface is the “throw anything at the browser and see what sticks” style for which Amazon is notorious, Endless’ interface is clean and—dare I say—elegant. Shoes can be selected by brand and size, of course, but also color, width, and price (the latter using a handy slider).

I pulled a few shoes out at random to compare prices and it seems Endless is usually a couple of dollars cheaper than Zappos, but it’s impossible to tell if that’s any broad, long-lasting trend. And while I could use my Amazon ID to log into Endless, it doesn’t seem my Amazon Prime member benefits apply to orders from Endless. (Not a big deal now, but when that free overnight offer is done, it might be.)

Endless looks like a fine retail site, but I can’t help but think I’d be just as happy with it as a new interface to the shoes section inside Amazon.com

Men’s Shoes Landing Page [Endless]