How Nike's New Flagship Is Transforming the Way You Shop For Sneakers
Nike's been one step ahead of the activewear market since its inception. It was the home of the first celebrity collaborations and women-focused designs; it was even onto ugly sneakers before they became a full-blown trend earlier this year. The brand is finishing out 2018 with another impressive first, of sorts: reinventing the way you buy its products to begin with.
On Thursday (November 14), Nike opened the doors to its brand-new flagship in New York City, the Nike House of Innovation 000. The name reflects its big mission to completely transform the way you shop, from how you interact with the brand's representatives to customizing a pair of its trademark kicks in stores. Bottom line: Finding your perfect running shoes or sports bra is about to get faster, easier, and a lot more fun.
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Nike's global vice president and GM of Global Nike Direct Stores and Service, Cathy Sparks, tells Glamour that the six-level, 68,000-square-foot store is a peek behind the curtain at Nike's brand DNA. "It's the most immersive, experiential expression of the brand," she says. "The goal was to build an environment that is as serviceable and as responsive as our digital platforms."
For one, the store, at 650 Fifth Avenue, is organized so you can shop by occasion—like a race or a weekend—not just by product. "We've merchandised it through a holistic approach: We know she runs and she goes to the gym, and she just wears great, comfortable clothes on the weekend. And so you'll see that the assortment is pulled together that way," Sparks explains.
Putting those outfits together for yourself is just as easy. Download the Nike app before visiting the store, and you can use the Shop the Look feature to find the exact outfits on the in-store mannequins, then have the items sent directly to a fitting room. You can also use the app to scan any product barcode in the store to see all available sizes and colors, as well as product information. When you've found the item you want, Nike Instant Checkout will let shoppers pay for their items from within the app, thereby skipping the lines. (Read: "See now, buy now" is the fastest it's ever been.)
This being a Nike flagship, you expect the footwear to be especially on-point. On the fourth floor, you'll find every available style; head back downstairs to the first floor, and there are hands-on customization experiences to make a pair of special-edition sneakers truly yours. "We remade some of our iconic footwear in a basic white, really premium material, and then we developed a custom pack," Sparks explains. "If you book an appointment, you can come in and you can hydro-dip it, you can change the swoosh, you can do anything you want with the laces. It's anything you want it to be: Here's the Nike product we know you'll love, and we'll innovate it for whatever your sport goals are."
The store's big enough to spend an entire day in, but Nike knows that shoppers usually prefer to get their sneakers and get out. So the location is equipped with digital pick-up lockers where shoppers can fetch products they've reserved ahead of time via the Nike App.
There's also a flexible return policy, so you can try the products in your own workout routine before making them a permanent part of your wardrobe. "[Our customer] really likes to take it home and try it out on her own in her own environment," Sparks says. "We've got a 30-day, no-questions-asked return policy." Accompanied by a receipt, any purchase can be brought back as quickly as it was taken home.
There you have it: If you're in the market for new footwear or workout gear, it may be worth a shopping trip to New York City. Nike's new store is ahead of the curve, just like the products it's put out before—and with its in-store technologies, you'll get exactly what you're looking for.
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