Hibbett Sports was once moving towards Sports Authority territory, until they launched their eCommerce platform. Since that time the retailer has become what I label as Nike’s GPS partner.
Foot Locker once held the position as Nike’s favorite distribution outlet, but Hibbett Sports has taken over and the continued work on improving their loyalty program and how the product is presented on the site is an interesting blend of traditional retail and resale strategies.
An interesting benefit of Hibbett Sports languishing behind Foot Locker for years is the company had a clean slate as they launched their website. They had a blend of traditional consumers in small towns as a demographic and they purchased City Gear to create a combination of style conscious and family friendly as the company has gone through a redesign. Those older customers haven’t left, and the new customer has more options from popular brands available.
Iconic, Trending, Bought in the Last Day… these labels are found on the pages of Hibbett/City Gear’s website. It’s a play on StockX’s data and eBay’s Terapeak information.
The Iconic tag can be found on sneakers like Chuck Taylor’s, Puma Suedes, the Nike Air Force 1 and the New Balance 574. The tag may seem minute, but in a social media driven society where sneakers have become mainstream and every consumer wants to feel like they are making the right choice in footwear, the small Iconic tag provides recognition and security for a consumer shaped by social media and peer pressure.
The Trending tag is a modification on the data offered by 3rd party eCommerce platforms like StockX and eBay. Trending is also an identifier functioning as security for a consumer who may not operate inside of sneaker culture echo chambers, but they want to identify as such. When a visitor to the Hibbett Sports/City Gear site clicks on an option with the Trending tag, they can find how many pairs of that style were Bought in the Last Day.
In some instances, sneakers will show Bought in the Last Day on shoes which aren’t trending. These real time measuring tools offer insight into how the digital arm of Hibbett Sports is shaping their revenue and driving growth. As retailers look to maximize every sales channel, minutia matters. Data is no longer for number nerds. Information can provide the push needed for consumers who abandon carts.
On this page for the Zoom Freak 4, when the visitor selects size 10.5 a flame emoji appears to inform the consumer only 3 pair remain in this size. What Hibbett Sports has done isn’t unique, but the addition of data is a differentiator. Also, word choice matters. Foot Locker utilizes similar tools. Their tags are Best Seller and This item is hot, purchase before it sells out! When compared with Iconic and Trending, the copy on Foot Locker’s site feels a bit dated and forced.
Hibbett Sports is making very smart UX/UI decisions and while the store experience is a bit rough due to the amount of security required in brick-and-mortar stores now, the work being done on their site will allow BOPIS to expand and could become just the buffer needed to offset individual locations adding security costs.
