Shoemall

Description

ShoeMall.com is an online source for men’s and women’s footwear with over a hundred years of footwear industry experience based out of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. They are an entirely web based retailer developed in 1999 by parent company- Mason Companies, Inc, to allow convenient online shopping for their customers. They currently have one outlet store in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, founding area of Mason Companies, Inc.

They sell approximately 250 name brands and offer 18,000 different styles, with hundreds of famous labels like Steve Madden, Chinese Laundry, The North Face, Keen, Jessica Simpson, Tommy Hilfiger, Reebok, Adidas, and New Balance.

History

ShoeMall.com was founded in 1999 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. It was founded by parent company, Mason Companies, Inc. which is a family owned business founded in 1904 by August and Bert Mason. Daily business operations are currently run by fifth generation descendents.

Mason began by manufacturing logging boots for the lumberjacks and river men who worked the huge stands of white pine in the Chippewa Valley area. Mason manufactured boots based on the demands of consumers, who requested boots which could uphold harsh conditions and an occasional dunking into the cold Wisconsin River. Mason worked hard to meet those demands.

Following the first catalog printing in 1906, the name "B.A. Mason" spread along the Chippewa River, and around the many lumber camps as one of the finest maker of boots in the North Woods. With the success of B.A. Mason Catalog, in 1915 Bert expanded into a larger factory and Mason began adding other work and some dress styles to their specialized inventory.

In 1922 Mason began using salesmen to promote their shoes, becoming progressive in direct selling. In 1942, Mason Companies, Inc. went from strictly a home office sales operation to a home office and branch office operation, which were later discontinued in 1970. Following an increase in business, in 1969 Mason Companies became a pioneer in name and list processing as they installed a computer to track sales and salespeople.

With the success of the company, in 1985 Mason started testing direct-to-consumer mail order catalogs featuring shoes and clothing for men and women. After years of direct sales interactions, the Mason salesmen program was eliminated on December 31, 1997, turning entirely to selling directly to the consumer through catalogs.

Following the success of the mail order catalogs, and the boom of internet retailing, Mason began ShoeMall.com, an entirely web based subset of their company. ShoeMall was launched in 1999 as an online footwear retailer with the goal of offering men and women a friendly and convenient online shopping experience. The online store is designed to combine the ease and enjoyment of online shopping with the product that you’re seeking. ShoeMall is committed to providing customers a wide selection of styles, colors, sizes and brands, an efficient web site, and top-notch customer service.

Today

Today, Mason sells footwear, apparel and accessories with a number of its branches specializing in hard-to-find sizes and widths. They are known as one of the largest footwear catalogers in the world with 9 business units developed: ShoeMall.com, B.A. Mason, E.T.Wright, Maryland Square, Auditions, Wissota Trader, K.Jordan, Masseys, and Mason Easy-Pay.

Mason expanded into apparel with its K.Jordan catalog and website, which was launched in February 2007. This was the first subsidiary which wasn’t an exclusive shoe and accessory retailer for Mason Companies, Inc.

They currently employ more than 400 people in the community of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and take pride in community outreach and support.

After starting the website in 1999, ShoeMall.com has now become a top online source for men’s and women’s footwear, marketing up to 250 name brands and 18,000 styles. ShoeMall is currently ranked 138th in the 2008 Internet Retailer Top 500, which they moved up from 153rd in 2007. ShoeMall is committed to providing customers a wide selection of styles, colors, sizes and brands, an efficient web site and top-notch customer service.

In 2004, ShoeMall began selling on Amazon.com, America’s largest online retailer. Almost all of their products found on ShoeMall.com are also available at Amazon.com with free standard U.S. shipping on all orders.

Products

With a variety of classic and contemporary styles, ranging from slippers to steel-toe, pumps to sneakers, or sandals to winter boots, they have something for everyone. ShoeMall.com offers famous brands like Jessica Simpson, Steve Madden, Chinese Laundry, Sugar, Rocket Dog, Asics, Reebok, New Balance, Naughty Monkey, BCBGirls, Frye Company, and Unlisted, with hundreds more to chose from. They market up to 250 name brands and 18,000 styles.

They pride themselves on a niche market, offering an extensive range of sizes and widths for many of their shoes. ShoeMall carries sizes 4 – 20 and has extended widths from AAAAA – EEEEEE.

They strive on delivering quality products with each and every shoe offered on their website. They conduct fit-tests to make sure the customer receives a shoe that fits precisely to the size and width they ordered.

Company Values

Mason has over 100 years in the footwear industry and takes pride in their knowledge of quality. Mason employs more than 400 employees from the Chippewa Valley, some with more than 30 years of experience in the shoemaking industry.

Mason promotes the “Mason Way” values system which has developed over a century of fundamental business decisions. It is based on the principle of treating others as you would want to be treated; today, the “Mason Way” motto still applies to everyday business practices involving the commitment to customers, employees, suppliers, and the communities in the Chippewa Valley. The “Mason Way” follows these guidelines within their daily business operations:

• Mason Employees strive for customer satisfaction
• Mason Employees have integrity
• Mason Partners have integrity
• Mason Employees are progressive
• Mason Employees have good work ethic
• Mason Employees are involved with their community

ShoeMall.com uses one-to-one customer service, displaying that the consumer is the company’s main priority. Their customer service line is answered by customer service representatives rather than automation.

Also, standard shipping on all orders within the United States of America at ShoeMall.com are free. They believe strongly in the quality of each pair of shoes they sell, that if the consumer is not completely satisfied with any item purchased from them, if unworn, it can be sent back at any time and they’ll replace it or give a refund.

Community Involvement

Mason Companies is devoted to the commitment and generosity of its company and employees to the organizations around the community through community service. They pride in taking part in community events, as well as supporting the community financially. This means not only participating in community charity events, but also the civic events and organizations which pride on promoting the wellbeing of the community as a whole.

Below is a list of just a few of the community organizations they support:

American Cancer Society
Chamber of Commerce
Chippewa Area Catholic Schools
Chippewa County Humane Association
Chippewa County Shooting Range
CF Museum of Industry and Technology
Chippewa Valley Boy Scouts
Chippewa Valley Cultural Association
Chippewa Valley Economic Dev.
Chippewa Youth Hockey
Christian Music Festival
Community Foundation of Chippewa County
Dorais Field Renovation
Family Support Center
Junior Achievement of Wisconsin
Kemper’s Woods, Park and Wildlife Area
Main Street Chippewa Falls
Northern Wisconsin State Fair
Oktoberfest
Rotary
St. Joseph’s Hospital
St. Peter’s Grade School
United Way
Two Ten Footwear Int’l
UWEC Foundation
UW Wisconsin Athletic Dept
Voyager Community Learning Center
YMCA

Competitors

Zappos.com
Endless.com
Shoebuy.com
Piperlime.com
Onlineshoes.com
Shoes.com

Awards

ShoeMall.com was ranked as the 138th largest online retailer in the 2008 Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide

In 2007, ShoeMall.com was recognized in the Internet Retailer Guide as one of the top 500 Web Retailers in the world, ranking 153rd.

References

^^ababout ShoeMall
About Us Mason Companies
Community Involvement at Mason
Working at Mason
Mason Companies Location
ShoeMall.com Beats Feet to Record Web Sales
ShoeMall.com Increases Web Sales from Leading Shopping Engine by 128 Percent
Increased Web Sales from Leading Shopping Engine by 128 Percent
Bill Me Later a Perfect Fit for ShoeMall.com
Bill Me Later Lifts Sales for ShoeMall.com
ShoeMall.com Demographics
Online shoe retailers use new selling strategies to gain a foothold in competitive marketplace
Company Knowledge: Information on Shoe Mall
Hunt stepping up to CEO at Mason Companies
Best Online Shoe Stores
Mason Shoes
Microsoft Live Search Cashback Showing Traction with Advertisers and Consumers

External links

ShoeMall.com
Mason Companies, inc
bamason.com
ETWright.com
MarylandSquare.com
Auditionshoes.com
Wissotatrader.com
KJordan.com
Masseys.com