The sneaker market is evolving, and Nike is running to keep up
The sneaker market is evolving, and Nike is running to keep up
The athletic shoe industry is a growing market and is expected to more than triple globally by 2030. But it’s also entering a sort of uncertain moment.
Nike, long the king of sneakers, is vying for more market share. Adidas has exited its once popular partnership with Kanye West and is entering another era with new management. Meanwhile, smaller specialty brands and even specialty shoes are eating away at the market share.
At the Berlin Marathon last week, Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa smashed the women’s world record. Most of the buzz was about her performance. But there was also a lot of chatter about her shoes.
Assefa ran in the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1: a shoe that weighs less than a third of a pound, costs $500 and is designed to be worn once.
“These things are loss leaders,” said Chris Burns, a sneaker industry analyst at ARCH USA.
When he says loss leaders, he’s putting these Adidas shoes in the same strategic category as, say, Costco rotisserie chickens.
“They’re not going to make the brand a lot of money. They will invite the conversation around that brand,” he said.
These shoes also symbolize a change happening in footwear. While the industry used to be all about the look — think Air Jordan — it’s now about the technology. Think brands like Hoka, Merrell and Brooks, which have a cult following and are whittling away at Nike’s dominance in performance running.
“Nike’s community seems to be more based on hype, limited releases and old school retro drops,” Burns said.
Meanwhile, other brands are building community around running clubs, he added. “Educating the consumer on how to make your knees stop hurting. You know, that’s powerful stuff.”
To some consumers, Nike — the brand that goes hand in hand with one of the best NBA players of all time — is no longer innovative.
“Nike is your typical, ubiquitous, Coca-Cola-type brand,” said Randy Konik, a footwear analyst at Jefferies.
Konik noted that Nike is so big, it’s hard for the company to find more growth. So, it’s concentrating on affordability. Nike recently returned to shelves at Macy’s and DSW after years of focusing on direct-to-consumer sales.
“The one thing to think about is can they continue to see the same rate of growth in the lower end?” said Konik.
Because Nike becoming everything to every type of consumer comes with challenges, per John Kernan, a retail analyst at TD Cowen.
“You know, they’re reaching a certain size and a certain competitive environment in the industry that’s creating some headwinds for them,” he said.
Sometimes, being a go-to brand just isn’t enough.
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