That's funny. Since August we have been receiving thousands and thousands of visits from China, Singapore, and other parts of Asia. But they aren't people: they are bots.
What is a bot?
In case you don't know what a bot is, let me translate: a bot is not a gentleman from Singapore visiting ZaMi 4,000 times a day because he's hesitating between two sizes. A bot is a program that automatically enters the shop ten thousand times if necessary.
It doesn't buy. It doesn't ask. It doesn't need sneakers. It just enters, rummages around, and consumes resources so that when you enter ZaMi, it feels slow, outdated, and hard to navigate. And the vast majority are from Asia, countries I don't even know how to locate on a map. I don't know who does it, nor do I care. But if I could take all those bots and tell whoever sends them where they can stick them... well, exactly. Dammit all.
And because of those bots, I haven't been able to send you the post by email for two weeks. That's why this Sunday I'm not going to talk to you about feet: I'm going to talk to you about ZaMi.
If a strange screen appears when you enter, don't worry
It's a screen checking that you are human. We haven't closed, the website hasn't broken: it's simply the barrier we have to put up to stop all those bots. You can pass; the bot, in theory, stays outside.
And here's where the funny part starts: we use a machine to try to keep machines from getting in. Meanwhile, more and more companies use machines to try to prevent you from talking to a person.
The infinite loop of poor customer service
You call the phone and they answer: "Choose one of these four options".
Or you write in a chat: "Hi, I need to exchange this". The bot answers: "How can I help you?". You explain it to it and it answers: "These are the most frequently asked questions".
No. My problem is not there. You write again and get the exact same answer. And again. And again. Like a dog chasing its own tail, but with bots.
A machine that prevents a customer from talking to someone when they have a problem isn't productivity: it's cutting staff by shifting the problem onto you. And that, when you have a problem or have just paid 50, 100, or 300 euros, really gets under your skin. Even worse are those websites where you look for a phone number and it feels like searching for the Holy Grail: form, another form, help center, FAQs... “We will reply as soon as possible.” But phone numbers, not one. And there you are with an urgent problem staring at the screen like an idiot.
Here we are still real people
If you have a problem with a size, a return, or don't know which sneaker to choose, there are real people behind ZaMi: you can write, you can call, and someone answers. Ángel, David, Rafa, or myself. Not an automatic sequence designed to wear you down until you give up.
Because selling online is very easy when everything goes smoothly; the interesting part comes when something goes wrong. That's when you find out who you bought from.
And this also applies to the brands we work with. When you've been selling shoes for so many years, you end up valuing things that don't appear on any product sheet: what happens when there's an issue, what occurs when a sneaker fails. Because putting a pretty shoe in a box is done by many people. Responding when things get bumpy is a whole different story.
Featured recommendation: Merrell Trail Glove 8
And that's why today I'm going to end by recommending Merrell. I've been working with them since the beginning of ZaMi. They've had models that defined an era, others that didn't turn out well... They've changed things I liked and others that made me wonder why on earth they tampered with them. But they've been making barefoot footwear for many years, and the Merrell Trail Glove remains one of those names known by anyone who's been in this for a while.
And precisely the latest version is the one I've been putting on lately to go for a walk along the trails, especially when I need to clear my head after seeing thousands of bots come in trying to annoy me:
Merrell Trail Glove 8
They have more room in the front than the previous version, they are flat, flexible, and have just that touch of protection that allows me to walk on paths and trails feeling the terrain without obsessing over every rock.
And if when entering ZaMi a machine asks you if you are human, now you know why. What matters comes afterwards, because on the other side we are still real people.
Indeed.
Health starts in your feet.
— Antonio Caballo
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