Zappos has a very unique discovery tool that places clickable images of shoes that people have ordered on a map; real time. Go to: http://www.zappos.com/map and you can see. It’s hypnotic in the same way that Twittervision 3D is, except that it makes you want to buy shoes. When you see a shoe that you like you can click on the image and it will take you to the eCommerce piece where you can buy.
- Want to know what they’re wearing in New York? Watch for a while.
- Think that mainly women are buying shoes from Zappos? Think again.
- Need socks to go with your shoes? No problem.
This type of discovery is great since it’s embodying the “I’ll know what I want when I see it”. Easy to imagine an iPhone application that does this. Also interesting to think of what other types of products this could be applied to. And the thought of filters could also provide some very interesting mapping features.
As for the image on the right; yes. It’s a “shoe”.
