International News: Welcome to Shoe-phoria

A Shoe Lovers Fantasy Site Begins in the Philipines and Expands

Ever dream of a land where your eyes and feet could celebrate in the company of shoes, shoes, and more shoes? What if there were other shoe-fanatics there with you so you didn’t feel alone in your shoe-mania? A place where every shoe-addict could come together and, footwear collection in tow, be in shoe bliss?

Well, we can’t exactly promise you the aforementioned shoe heaven, but we can present you with Shoephoric. What began as an organization system for one such shoe-addict, Ann Jacobe, has now become a resource for shoe-lovers all over the world. Launched in 2011 in the Philippines, Shoephoric has already amassed over 100,000 users.

The comprehensive site offers a range of shoe-centric features for users. At the moment, one of its primary functions is as an organizational tool for shoe collections that are overwhelming for users to manage and keep track of on their own. On Shoephoric, one can upload images of their varying footwear, and keep a catalog of sorts based on details such as color, style, and brand. The site also operates as a social one, a forum for all shoe-addicts to come together and share their collections with each other, blog about their styles, rate and comment the collections of others, and contact each other directly as well if desired. And what would shoe-phoria be without a place to purchase the much-loved item? That's right, Shoephoric also hosts a bazaar, where site members can sell either used or brand-new pairs online, directly to other users.

For now, Shoephoric is not designed primarily to bring in revenue. It was, after all, borne out of love rather than out of a desire for financial success. Nonetheless, it does bring in revenue through targeted ads on each member's page, featuring brands and products, and through promotions and sponsorships. There are plans underway for a more revenue focused site, through "Shoephoric Shops" where shoe retailers can set up their own online stores on the site.

The mission is to "make everyone shoephoric", or as is defined on the site, "immensely happy because of shoes". Indeed it already seems to be an online haven for those whose hearts skip a beat whenever the words stiletto, wedge, kitten heel, pumps, flats…(you get the idea), are uttered. And time will tell if the revenue-bringing plans will succeed once implemented.

By Sadaf Syed

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