How Nike Creates Its Digitally Connected Marketplace

Nike’s bread and butter is designing footwear and apparel for the world’s best athletes. These days, how the company reaches those athletes has evolved: Digital tools, inspired partnerships and in-store features help Nike create a marketplace that better connects with and serves athletes and the communities they’re from.

One: Retail Stores Reflect the Vibe of the Communities They Serve—and Nike’s Vibe Too.

Nike’s lineup of store concepts—House of Innovation, Rise, Live and Unite—are designed to uniquely serve individual communities while simultaneously reflecting a different perspective of the company, from the showcases of HOI to Unite doors that are built based on the style and energy of the local scene. For example, in Seoul, the Nike Rise door has a City Replay zone featuring popular local products. In Brooklyn, New York, Nike Live by Williamsburg has colorful, offbeat artwork befitting the neighborhood’s art scene, and the store partners with Williamsburg businesses like Buddies Coffee and Northside Bakery to support local entrepreneurs. Nike believes that, even as digital shopping opens up a world of possibilities, stores are an essential part of bringing sport into communities, where products, services and experiences help encourage Nike shoppers to make sport a daily habit. 

Two: Online to Offline Services Give Nike Fans the Best of Both Worlds.

Nike’s “both-and” balance of retail services and digital tools means that athletes can experience the Nike brand however they’d like, whenever they’d like. That could mean picking up in a nearby storefront after ordering online, or finding a product in store and doing a self-checkout using the Nike App.

Three: Enhanced Membership—Like Nike’s Newest Membership Program with DICK’s Sporting Goods—Offers More Convenience.

Nike is made better when it works with like-minded partners to serve those who love sport. For example, the revamped partnership between Nike and DICK’s Sporting Goods allows shoppers who link their Nike Member and DSG ScoreCard accounts to unlock exclusive offers, products and experiences. 

“If you think back to how many decades our companies have been working together, and the strategic partnership we’ve formed, to be able to come together in this way and catapult the consumer experience is truly exciting,” says Lauren Hobart, President and CEO of DICK’S Sporting Goods. “We are thrilled that DICK’S and Nike are going to be partnering at an even higher level moving forward.”

Four: Nike Direct Digital Benefits Make Shopping More Personal and More Positive.

The family of Nike apps—SNKRS, Nike Training Club, Nike Run Club and others—are gateways for people to get closer to the brand in ways that resonate with them. If you run, NRC helps you connect with other runners in your neighborhood to complete route challenges together. (You can also create challenges yourself and rally nearby runners to join in.) And being active across the Nike App can help you get in on new products, exclusive collections and even local events and experiences for Nike Members. Delivering personalized content across sport and shopping, Nike’s digital presence recognizes that sport culture is a diverse, inclusive world that includes fashion, fitness, music and more, and it offers everyone a meaningful way to be engaged and involved.

Five: Nike Members Are Part of a Worldwide Community of Sport.

When you’re a Nike Member, you’re joining a family of athletes across the globe and in your city who love the culture of sport. This comes to life in stores—peek into the Paris House of Innovation door, and you’ll see the latest happenings flash across the Mission Control wall. You’ll also see news coming out of House of Innovation doors in New York and Shanghai, including all the insider opportunities available for Nike Members, such as access to new product and sport experiences.