The Online Shopping Guide for the Trendy Online Shopper

For the average online shopper, designer clothing sites are pocketed in the “wishful thinking” category. However, with sample sale websites and their incredible insider discounts and daily boutiques at up to 80% off, high fashion doesn’t have to mean high cost. Here at STELLAService, we love a stylish steal as much as the next person, but top quality customer service still tops our list. For your convenience, we have investigated 5 of these “secret sale” companies to give you an idea of which sites to hunt down and which to steer clear of. Hopefully this guide will make your shopping experience as dapper as your new threads!

Shipping and return policies can make or break a shopping experience. Free shipping and pre-paid return labels are just a few of the perks that give one company a leg up over the other. In some cases, the fine print of these policies can go unnoticed before you press “confirm purchase”. We are here to be your personal magnifier with tips such as who will refund your credit card and who will hand you a “store credit only” certificate. Read on!

If your only spare time to shop is on a weekend and you find yourself having a few questions, who is capable of offering you a live CSR rep to assist you? Who can you be confident in that will provide you with a knowledgeable CSR representative? Live customer support and services are a very important aspect of each company…so who holds them at the highest standard?

Hopefully, this guide will spark your inner fashion flame and have you dying to land some affordable designer apparel. However, all of these sites (except ShopBop.com) are by invitation only. Thankfully, you are only a click away from becoming an exclusive member yourself (if you aren’t already!) Click the links below to become a member and enjoy!

• Gilt.com
• RueLaLa.com
• HauteLook.com
• Ideeli.com

The E-Commerce Tripod: Explained Via Videogames

Leaving college is a difficult endeavor for anyone.  Leaving college is even more of a challenge when you discover that being gainfully employed and having a healthy social life means your regimen of four-hour video game ‘practice’ sessions have to take a backseat to more developmentally healthy activities.

To soften the brutality of having this beloved activity taken from me, I decided recently to purchase the newest installment of Capcom’s nearly decades long ‘Street Fighter’ series in an attempt to pathetically try to re-create a favorite pastime of my not so recent collegiate experience.  Like most e-consumers, I made sure to visit a handful of sites that sell the game to see if there were any major differences in price.  After some basic research, what became clear was that there were dozens of sites selling the exact same game for a price that was nearly identical (between $30 and 35$) without shipping.

At this point, two things were clearly visible throughout the online shopping process; there were several sites offering the same products and those same products all had nearly identical prices.  What wasn’t clear to me from any of those same sites was how those same companies planned on treating me through all phases of my purchase.  Of all the retailers, which would give me the best information to make an informed decision on purchasing the right game?  Which website had the most inexpensive shipping rates?  Which vendor would be willing to take my call and help me get my game running if I was experiencing problems with the disc at 3am Saturday morning, numb and tired from hours of play and extreme Nacho Cheese Dorito ingestion (hypothetically)?  Which site would let me return the game if I decided I didn’t like it a month later?

All of these questions are just as reasonable as ‘How much does the game cost?’ and ‘What other game titles are available for this particular platform?’  Both questions are paramount when deciding what product to purchase; one regards price, the other, selection.  That leaves the e-retailer’s customer service offering, the equally important third and more nebulous leg of our e-retail tripod.

Fortunately for consumers, STELLAService brings clarity to that third large, differentiating component of online retailers.  It is our belief that as price and selection for mass produced products continue to converge, e-retailers need to differentiate themselves by way of their customer service offering.  By providing data driven, rather than anecdotal, insight into how particular e-retailers differ in their abilities to best serve their customers, STELLAService is not only providing a service to online consumers, but also to those companies that make customer service a priority (by broadcasting their commitment through display of the STELLAService Seal).

Whether you’re looking to alienate yourself from your friends and family by hunkering down for 90 cumulative hours of Final Fantasy XIV, or if you just want to find a pair of running shoes, be sure to keep an eye out for the STELLAService seal on any site that sells goods online.  You may be out of college, but it’s not too late to educate yourself on where the best place is to make a purchase online.

The Fall Online Shoe Shopping Guide

The average person spends about 1/3 of their life sleeping. The other 2/3′s is spent in shoes, with the exception of beach time and foot massages, of course. That’s a lot of time on your feet! And that’s why it’s so important to find the perfect pair of shoes.

It’s also officially back-to-school shopping season and students everywhere are looking for their brand new kicks. To account for the limitless shapes and sizes of feet, there are hundreds of sites that offer various brands, sizes, styles and colors of thousands of shoes. But with so many options, it’s not easy to get that Cinderella-like fit. Do you really want to pay for return shipping if they don’t fit? In this day and age, shoe shopping should be painless, and your kicks should be delivered with excellent customer service. There’s no reason to buy from a site that can’t deliver on that promise.

To help you find the perfect online shoe shop this fall, STELLAService has evaluated 19 different sites that hopefully carry some of your favorite shoes, and as usual, we have specifically highlighted the shops that deliver a truly top-rate customer experience.

Overall STELLAService Scores

Competition is fierce within the shoe customer category. In fact, there are now more companies in this category that achieved Elite and Excellent STELLAService Ratings than any other apparel category we have evaluated.

Shipping

Do you need your Oxfords in a hurry for that weekend wedding? Just a few select sites offer shipping on Saturday. Not in a hurry? Check to see how long it took our footwear to be delivered. We all get a little anxious to receive our new shoes!

Returns

The ease and convenience of the returns process for online shoe companies is essential to the overall service proposition. Just think about how many pairs you had to try on the last time you were in a store…I’m always at least 2 or 3.  If you answered anything except “0″ or “1″, then you understand why shoe sites must make it exceptionally easy for customers to return products. See how your favorite e-retailers stack up when it comes to the returns process.

Featured Sites

Zappos.com is a breeze to navigate online. Panning the mouse over the product changes the angle view of the shoe, revealing the front back, side, bottom, and top. Check out the STELLAService Elite seal they proudly display!

RoadRunnerSports.com has a very knowledgeable customer support staff that will help you find the perfect sneakers. Customer service is available via phone, email, or live chat!

Need more info? OnlineShoes.com offers hundreds of videos that provide customers with a detailed look at popular products.

Customize your own shoes with NikeiD. Many other shoe types are available.

Thanks for reading! If you liked this, you may also be interested in the STELLAService College Shopping Guide. If you’d like to receive this blog via email, sign up in in the top right of this page. You can also follow STELLAshopper on Twitter (@stellashopper)!

Online Shopping Guide for Tennis Enthusiasts

When it comes to buying tennis gear online, who serves up excellent customer service? Does it matter if it’s a specialty store or a “big box” store? Who took an average of just 6 minutes to return customer service emails?

While collared shirts and pleated skirts are no longer required for the tennis court, the equipment still gets more expensive each year. The places in which we spend our money should be complemented with excellent customer service – no doubt about that! Buying a new racket is quite an investment, and knowledgeable customer service representatives can assure you that you choose the right tool for your game (even your game is a little rusty like mine).

Below is the STELLAService Online Shopping Guide for Tennis Enthusiasts, or at least for those who like to look good on the court.

“Big Box” vs. Specialty … Who’s Better?

We found that the “big box” stores and specialty retailers offered similar amounts of product information on their websites and even scored on par with one another when it came to the product knowledge of their customer service agents. However, the specialty retailers responded to customer service emails (on average) in less than half the time as their bigger big box brothers!

Buyer Beware

Once you pick out the perfect item from a website with extensive product descriptions and knowledgeable CSRs, the shipping can be a hassle. Large and heavy items might force you to rack up hefty shipping charges. Generally, returns in the smaller-sized tennis category were not as easy when compared to other categories and large e-commerce companies. Many retailers charge irritating restocking fees, and this isn’t always communicated on the return policy.

To view more reports and research conducted by STELLAService, visit this page.

STELLAService College Shopping Guide

When it comes to college shopping, shopping online is a great way to save both time (you’ve only got a little bit left) and effort (because boy is it hot out!). By shopping at only sites STELLAService rated Elite and Excellent, you can be sure that behind the scenes is a customer-focused company eager to help get you and your family the best products.

So, to make things easier, we’ve crossed a college shopping guide with some of our best STELLA rated sites to bring you a complete college shopping guide of great items from the best sites. This is not an advertisement for these companies. Rather, all of the items were hand-picked by one of our STELLAService analysts who is still in college (and who wrote this from her dorm room). When you like an item you see, just click the recommendation- it will bring you right to the product page. We hope you enjoy the guide and enjoy the STELLA service you’ll discover.

Note: We can’t say whether each recommendation is the best price for that item available, even amongst other standout STELLA rated sites, since sales and promotions change so quickly. However, we intend for this guide to help suggest great places to start your online shopping in each category.

McDonald’s Free Friday Frappe’s

Here’s something to look forward to Friday, July 2nd from 7am-7pm-a free sample size of McDonald’s Frappe’s, caramel or mocha. In the name of alliteration, I’m a felicitous fan of any free frozen fluid.

Visit here for more information.

Must-Read for Bike Commuters and Competitors

Whether you cycle to work every day or compete in cycling races internationally, customer service is vital if you purchase your gear online. Bicycle parts can be heavy and costly to ship, parts my not fit correctly, and what is with that European sizing?!

Before you buy cycling products online, whether for the mountains or the roads, check out the STELLAService Online Shopping Guide.

The STELLAService Online Shopping Guide for Cycling-Click to visit the full guide!