Nike goes big with new ‘Rise’ store concept
Nike had added yet another store concept to its brick-and-mortar portfolio.
The athletic apparel and footwear giant continues to blend its digital and brick-and-mortar experiences with the debut of Nike Rise. Located at Grandview Mall in Guangzhou, China, the 22,000-sq.-ft. store is designed to serve as a data-powered hub for sports in general — and members of Nike’s loyalty club in particular.
The store has three floors of product, experiences and services, with most connecting to the Nike app. Nike said that more Rise doors will be added to its global fleet in 2021, with some existing locations revamped to fit the concept.
The new store is sleek and streamlined. In line with the company’s sustainability push, Nike incorporated some 45,000 pounds of recycled materials into the finishes, fixtures and displays.
With a member-first strategy, Nike Rise offers a one-to-one personalized shopping journey that connects consumers to sport, their communities and one another. An in-store digital calendar alerts customers to local events, including sports activities sponsored by Nike at a nearby sports center.
When entering, members will receive notifications of events and new in-store features. While shopping, they can use the app to scan the product barcode on any item to learn more about it, check availability and place an order in-store or online.
Using Nike Experiences, a brand new Nike app feature, members can connect with and sign up for weekly sports activities tailored to the locale. Members can also gain access to in-store workshops and events hosted by the city’s network of Nike athletes, experts and sport influencers.
Other features include a personalization bar, Nike By You, that enables members to personalize items with design elements inspired by the city’s sport culture, from jerseys representing city sport teams to everyday products such as T-shirts and totes. (Guangzhou plays host to both professional basketball and football teams and has a large and dedicated running community.)
The store is the first in Greater China to feature Nike Fit technology, a footwear sizing tool that scans customers’ feet to find the best fit for any style. It uses a combination of computer vision, data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence and recommendation algorithms to find the best every customer, in every style.
“Whether members are connecting through the Nike App or joining in-store, they’re invited to experience a digitally-enabled journey at this Nike Rise door that links them to the energy and activity of the city, and unites communities across Guangzhou through the power of sport,” said Cathy Sparks, VP/GM of global Nike Direct Stores & Services.
In addition to the Nike Rise store, Nike has opened two “House of Innovation” flagships in Shanghai and New York, with a third scheduled to open in Paris later this year. The company also continues to expand its small-format Nike Live local store concept.
Most recently, Nike said it is planning to open 150 to 200 small footprint, digitally-enabled stores in North America, the Middle East and Africa.