Online retailer receives The Pinnacle Award for outstanding achievement in brand loyalty

CALGARY, March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Zappos.com a leader in online apparel and footwear sales and famous for its customer service, was honored with two awards at a gala ceremony on February 23, 2017, at The Gathering in Banff, Canada, an annual summit of enlightened leaders behind the world's most coveted brands. The first award recognized Zappos.com as a brand that has attained cult status among consumers, while The Pinnacle Award was bestowed by attendees as a "best of show" acknowledgement of the brand's significant success and achievement among peers. Previous Pinnacle Award winners include AirBnb (2016), Cirque du Soleil (2015), and GoPro (2014).

The awards were accepted by Tyler Williams, Fungineer and Lead Link for Brand Aura at Zappos.com who was accompanied at The Gathering summit by Zappos.com CEO, Tony Hsieh.

"You really can't host a summit of brands that have won such fanatical levels of customer devotion and not include Zappos.com," explained The Gathering co-founder and CEO of Calgary-based Cult Collective, Chris Kneeland. "Each year, our panel judges hundreds of brands on their cult-like merits, but only a handful are truly special enough to honour. These awards represent a significant accomplishment, and have become an opportunity for peers from around the world to celebrate and pay homage to those brands who are so deserving of the recognition." Since inception, The Gathering has been hosted and curated by Kneeland's Cult Collective, with the first summit taking place in February, 2014.

Zappos.com CEO, Tony Hsieh, who wrote and published the New York Times Bestseller "Delivering Happiness" in 2010, also delivered a keynote presentation at The Gathering, detailing the past, present and future of the Zappos.com brand. Other keynote sessions were delievered by author and customer experience expert, Jeanne Bliss, ex-Apple executive and Chief Evangelist of Canva, Guy Kawasaki, and Jonathan Mildenhall, Chief Marketing Officer at Airbnb. Chris Kneeland of Cult Collective also gave a keynote.

The Gathering summit was held at the Fairmont Banff Springs resort from February 22-23, 2017, in the heart of Banff National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While only Zappos.com received The Pinnacle Award, other brands honored at The Gathering 2017 included Fender, Make-A-Wish, Canada Goose, Mountain Dew, Levi's and Chapstick. Past honorees include Red Bull, GoPro, Cirque du Soleil, UFC, Converse, Carhartt and Lululemon. Nominations are open to the public each year until May 30 at www.cultgathering.com

About Zappos

Established in 1999, Zappos.com has quickly become a leading destination in online apparel and footwear sales by striving to provide shoppers with the best possible service and selection. Zappos currently showcases millions of products from over 1,000 clothing and shoe brands. Zappos is also proud to be rated ELITE by STELLAService and was named a J.D. Power 2011 Customer Service Champion, one of only 40 companies so named in the U.S. More information about the customer service philosophy, unique culture and job openings can be found at http://about.zappos.com. More information about Zappos Insights, and its business membership program can be found at zapposinsights.com. Zappos.com Inc. is a subsidiary of (AMZN) Amazon.com, Inc. Official press kit and photography is available at http://www.zappos.com/about/presskit

About The Gathering

Founded in 2013, The Gathering is an exclusive summit focused on exposing the principles and practices employed by the world's most successful brands. The event brings together respected thought leaders and senior executives behind brands who've dominated their industries or categories by winning the irrational loyalty and devotion of customers and fans the world over. The Gathering is supported by its valued sponsors, including Air Canada, SAP Hybris, CULT, and is produced in partnership with e=mc2 Events. Learn more at www.cultgathering.com.

About Cult Collective LP

Cult Collective is a leading marketing consultancy helping brands engage consumers in ways that lead to higher customer loyalty and profitability. Cult works with consumer facing brands in high affinity categories such as retail, tourism, packaged goods, post-secondary and financial services, and has offices in Vancouver, BC, Calgary, AB, Kingston, ON and Atlanta, GA. Learn more at www.cultideas.com.

SOURCE The Gathering