While we believe at Shopper Concierge that EVERYTHING can be successfully purchased online we acknowledge that some categories are harder than others, and Running Shoes is one of those categories! To date I have only bought running shoes in person and while I have a preference for Nike I have no idea which shoe to purchase.So this challenge starts with identifying the right running shoe for my foot, something that is critical to the successful purchase. I decided to shop at www.rebelsport.com.au as they are a well known brand and therefore I assumed a large range with lots of information to assist with the decision making process.
Rebel Sport have at least 45 pairs of womens running shoes to chose from across a number of brands. So good range ( tick) but where do you start? Well they give you no assistance on this front. I started looking randomly at running shoes at different brands and from what I could deduce there seems to be three different types of shoe: Neutral, Stability and Motion Control. Firstly, Rebel Sport ( along with the majority of other sites) do not group running shoes into these categories so basically you need to click on each shoe to determine what style it is. Secondly they don't provide any information how you decide which shoe style suits what type of foot or even how to determine what type of foot you have. I find this a major lost opportunity. I think the majority of people would stop here, put it in the hard basket and go into a store ( which may or may not be Rebel Sport). I however decided to push ahead with the challenge.
I ended up seeking guidance from a number of excellent blogs, which show you how to work out your shape of foot ( through a wet foot test in the shower) and then show you which shoe to choose. One of the best was:
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/shoes/choosing-a-shoe-the-very-basics/481.html
After reviewing this information it was very clear to me which style of shoe to purchase and back to the Rebel Sport site I went armed with information quite frankly they could have provided me with in the first place.
I then needed to pick the right brand and shoe within the range, again for this I had to leave the site and seek advice from a number of blogs. I ended up deciding on the Nike Dual Fusion running shoe
http://www.rebelsport.com.au/eng/product/nike-dual-fusion-womens-running-shoes/0102004510021.
I decided to place an order ..... so what was my experience like with Rebel Sport?
it took 3 attempts to place the order as the site kept crashing.
I did get an email with a link to tracking information immediately following the purchase ( Good Stuff)
But the tracking info is basic. It is now 8 days since I order the shoes and they have not arrived? The tracking information has indicated they have been "shipped" since 5 days ago but doesn't indicate anything further than that - not helpful in anyway
I emailed Rebel Sport asking about my shoes 12 hours ago but have not had a response- not even an acknowledgement email.
So what is the upshot of all of this? Running Shoes are a difficult category to buy online BUT Rebel Sport ( and other retailers) do nothing to simplify the process. Thank God for informed bloggers sharing their experiences! But as I
still don't have my shoes or have any idea where they are after 8 days, forget supplying me with product information, I would just like Rebel Sport to get the basics right : Shipping and delivery.
For more sites to buy running shoes and reviews check out www.shopperconcierge.com
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