First Look: Nike ‘rises’ in Seoul
One of the world’s premier digitally connected marketplaces is home to the newest store concept from Nike.
Nike has opened the second location of its Nike Live concept, which it launched last summer in Guangzhou, China, in the South Korean capital of Seoul. The 24,000-sq.-ft. store bridges digital and physical retail to create immersive store experiences, with a design identity that reflects its host city.
MORE SLIDESHOWS
The store’s layout blends a sense of personal exploration with localized digital services. The new Nike is the company’s first location with an “insider track” table. The interactive footwear comparison tool uses an electromagnetic reader to identify a product’s unique inventory number and bring up helpful information between two different styles.
Other highlights include a “city replace” zone where shoppers can find an assortment of hyperlocal Seoul products. The area also features a repair station where customers can repair old or worn Nike products and customize the same.
The women’s apparel offering, on the second floor, features digital signage that reads across the walls. The signage provides product information.
Nike Seoul also underscores Nike’s sustainability efforts. In addition to being among the first Nike stores to secure a LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building Couni, Nike Seoul is also the first in Asia to launch Nike’s service for recycling and donating gently worn footwear and apparel. Shoppers can drop off gently-worn shoes — and now, for the first time, apparel — to the Seoul store, where the product will either be recycled or donated to partnering organizations that help communities facing disasters and other challenging circumstances.
Nike Rise is the latest concept in Nike’s brick-and-mortar portfolio, which includes Nike Live and House of Innovation.
[Read More: Nike plans to open 150 to 200 Nike Live-style stores over next couple of years]