Shop your very own showroom

image source

With the unofficial start of summer less than a week away, it’s time to swap my well-worn winter shoes for sandals, flats, and wedges. The problem is that I’m bored with all of my warm weather shoes. The solution? Time to go shoe shopping.

I don’t know about you, but I can spend hours browsing online department and speciality shoe stores and ultimately not purchase anything. And it’s usually not because I don’t see anything I like. Just the opposite — there are too many things I like, and I can’t decide which to buy!

Sheena Iyengar, author of “The Art of Choosing,” conducted a 1995 study researching choice. When she offered 24 varieties of jam as samples, 60% of customers stopped by her booth but only 3% purchased a jar. However, when only six jars of jam were displayed, 40% of customers stopped by and 30% made a purchase.

When discussing her famous 1995 jam study, Professor Iyengar explained that the study “raised the hypothesis that the presence of choice might be appealing as a theory, but in reality, people might find more and more choice to actually be debilitating,” according to The New York Times.

So what does this have to do with shoe shopping? Well, when ShoeDazzle asked me to check out how they are changing women’s online shopping experiences, I was intrigued. First, you take a short quiz so ShoeDazzle can identify your style and are presented with personalized shoe and accessory recommendations in your very own “showroom.”

Each month you’ll receive a new showroom that fits your individual style, and as new products get added to the site, ShoeDazzle will continue to tailor your personalized recommendations. Essentially, you’re browsing a curated collection of shoes and handbags selected just for you (although you do have the option to search the entire site), and fewer options mean you’ll be less likely to feel overwhelmed!

Above are a couple of summer shoes from my showroom. I was happily surprised by how much I liked so many of the options presented to me; I could really see myself wearing many of them, especially the four in the photo.

Another surprise? The cost. All of the shoes are very reasonably priced. Plus, if you make a purchase within two days of taking the quiz, you’ll get 25% off your first item ordered.

Oh, and their Chief Stylist? The inimitable Rachel Zoe!

Curious? Click here to take your ShoeDazzle style quiz and let me know what you think!