The online marketplace for gently used and restored Nike shoes. Up to 50% off retail. Free shipping. Free returns.
Source: Resku | Restored Nike Shoes | Discount Nike
After being invited to speak at the Footwear Innovation Summit 2019 in Los Angeles, I discovered how little I understood the importance of sustainability and technology in the sneaker industry. Sneakerheads buy more pairs than the average consumer. While this is good for the bank accounts of brands, it’s not good for the ecosystem. In this series I will introduce companies that are helping to improve the supply chain of footwear companies via innovations in science and technology.
During the panel discussion at FIS2019 we were asked a question about the sharing economy in the sneaker industry. I boldly responded that people wouldn’t participate and that the brands have found a way to continuously push new product to the consumer via subscription boxes. Susan Olivier, VP at Dassault Systems responded that the sharing economy can and is working. As the event drew to a close it hit me that I answered in haste. It became more apparent that I answered in haste as my phone began buzzing about a number of different programs already launched by small business people.
The irony however is that in my rush to respond I forgot where I came from. When I started my first footwear company in 2004, it was funded by my work in reselling shoes. I would buy entire collections and clean them up. In sneaker culture we took to using the words deadstock for new, unworn kicks, and when we had to sell shoes to other people and explain that the shoes had been tried on or gently worn we used the words Nearly Deadstock (NDS) and When they had been worn a few times we used Very Nearly Deadstock (VNDS). When I launched my eBay store I sold a ton of used footwear. Even today I can still buy used or damaged shoes and clean them and make them look like new. The sharing economy has long existed in sneaker culture.
I mean, I have been a part of the sharing economy my entire life. They were called hand-me-downs. I was deadwrong and this post today, while I’ve been rambling, is all about a platform that has found a way to align itself with Nike as an authorized seller of restored footwear by the Swoosh.
RESKU extends the life of sneakers by restoring, restocking, and rehoming them from the back warehouse to the world.
The company has one of the most impressive names I’ve seen in resale. You can read the name as Rescue; rescuing footwear that could end up in a damage bin and dumped in a landfill hurting the environment. Or you can read the name as Re-SKU. A SKU is a stock keeping unit. In warehousing all items are given a SKU so it can be tracked. To take a shoe that has been previously worn and to re-sku it is an obvious idea. How will the company work? It’s a new business and right now they are advertising heavily using social media. There is an inherent issue with this. It’s costly customer acquisition. The moment ads stop running, interaction drops. With slightly worn shoes the margins are small and the inventory is inconsistent so the company has to really consider the long game and reinvent the site. This isn’t a consult though, it’s an introduction to a company that is giving footwear a longer life and adding on the sustainability movement in a very smart manner.
Take a moment to use the source link and pictures to visit the site.