The first Nike Rise door opens in Guangzhou July 9, with additional doors in Nike’s global store fleet opening in 2021.
Source: Nike Rise Retail Concept
I wanted to lead with a picture of Nike Fit inside of Nike’s new Rise Concept in China to stress the touch free process of size and fit in a COVID-19 world. Nike Rise is opening in China after China has learned to implement social distancing strategies to offset uncertainty around the virus. Nike is beginning to reassert its retail muscle. The store itself is the perfect blend of digital and brick and mortar. I’ve been touting small store formats in the U.S. as the way to go, and Nike has been doing both formats (Big = Nike Rise?Innovation and Small = Live) while making sure that all of their growth and the advancements made in digital are carried over to their doors. It’s an elegant solution, but Rise is one that the U.S. stores won’t have to implement as the consumer in the U.S. is less tech savvy and operates on price vs tech and education.
The U.S. customer I think is more likely to accept the Live format like the Melrose Store location:
Nike Live Concept Los Angeles Brings More Investor’s Day Announcements To Reality
In the picture above, you can see the Nike Scan to Learn is also functional. It’s a strategy that is available inside of the Nike App and inside of SNKRS. I’ve used on several occasions inside of Foot Locker, but I don’t see many people taking advantage of the educational aspect and sales leads aren’t very quick to use it either to possibly garner a sale based on info.
Description from Nike:
-
Nike Experiences, a new Nike App feature, turns the city into a digitally-enabled playground for Members. Piloting in the city of Guangzhou, Nike Experiences will connect city Members to weekly sport-minded activations designed to get them moving. Members will also gain access to in-store workshops and events hosted by the city’s network of Nike athletes, experts and sport influencers.
-
A new Nike By You personalization bar will deliver a 365-experience for Members to personalize items with design elements inspired by the city’s sport culture, from jerseys representing city sport teams (like Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao Football Club) to everyday products like T-shirts and totes.
-
The sport pulse in Guangzhou is driven by running, basketball and football. The city plays host to both professional basketball and football teams, and a passionate community of runners have logged more than 3.2 million kilometers in the Nike Running Club app in the last year. Members in Guangzhou can plug into events, like weekly basketball games and football matches, with Nike experts and Master Trainers at Tianhe Sport Center (a 10-minute walk from Nike’s newest door) or get rewarded with Member Unlocks tied to the sports they love.
-
For the first time in Greater China, the Nike Fit in-store experience will be introduced to consumers at Nike Guangzhou. Using Nike Fit technology, shoppers can get their feet scanned by a store athlete to find the best fit for any footwear, in any style. Preferred sizes can be stored in Nike Member profiles to shop online or offline.
What Does Nike’s Continued Rollout of in-Store Experiences Mean for the U.S.?
I’ve been writing about Nike’s DTC strategy since 2015 and even more when they gave it a name during Nike’s Investor’s Day in 2017. As Nike continues to contract accounts for wholesale, those sales will have to be reacquired. Operating more doors is the natural approach to continued growth for the brand. Inevitably retail will feel the pinch in the international market.
I initially said that this would shape retail in the U.S. It will, but not in the way I thought. Nike’s advancement will begin to hit retailers like Dick’s and accounts that cater to a more diverse market than DTLR, Shoe Palace, Foot Locker, Jimmy Jazz and City Gear/Hibbett Sports.
In the U.S. Nike has a moat that doesn’t require them to invest heavily in these tech driven omni-channel retail experiences.
Nike’s Urban accounts in North America are vital partners in their strategy because the Black consumer isn’t a conscious consumer. I know this is a complicated generalization, but it’s true. Nike doesn’t have any reason to deliver tech driven stores outside of their Key Cities in the U.S. (NYC, LA, Chicago) because the Black consumer will provide billions of dollars to their bottom line on every new release. Without regard to innovation and tech. That’s a different conversation for a different day. In China and in the international market Nike has to show innovation and Nike Rise is another bullet in the chamber of Nike’s machine. Use the source link to read more.