First it was Amazon; now it is Jet.com (owned by Walmart). Nike products are showing up in all sorts of unexpected places. The sporting goods brand, which was long known for its vigorous efforts to control all channels to reach its customers, has changed course. After its success with a dedicated storefront on Amazon—a move that largely sought to combat the widespread threat of counterfeit products being sold through the site—Nike now has entered into an agreement with Jet.com to locate its shoes, apparel, and related gear on that ecommerce site. The Jet.com deal promises to provide “targeted shopping” for consumers, such that the site will present them with options tailored to their interests. Someone searching for fashionable sneakers will see the latest Air Jordans; they will not see pages that highlight Nike’s yoga gear. In both collaborations, Nike may give up a little control, but it gains far more, including broader reach and access to massive amounts of data held by these two massive ecommerce sites.

 

 

Source: Tom Ryan, Retail Wire, September 21, 2018