So back in July 2009 Nike opened a small store in Laguna Beach, CA. I first caught the news on Coolhunting and was really excited to see Nike testing a multibrand retail space that carries Nike 6.0, Hurley, Converse and Nike SB with a second floor customization area. Customers can go in and get a print on their new Chucks or shirts with a 3D inkjet called “Converse Ink”, get advice on NIKEiD and even get their boardshorts printed through a sublimation process.
Now none of this is revolutionary in and of itself.
What makes 225 Forest interesting is the second Nike 6.0-Hurley-Converse store that just opened in time for Black Friday in the Irvine Spectrum Center (link to an nice OC news blog post here). Nike opened a roughly 3200ft² space that is carrying Nike 6.0-Hurley-Converse as well as range of denim and other lifestyle apparel like Pendleton wool shirts.
The revolution is this: Nike is a global superpower in the sport and lifestyle apparel and footwear market. They are the number 1, but the number 1 didn’t come out and blow open the doors on this space without testing their final product in the lab…225 Forest is the lab.
It is by definition and reality a Concept Store. Nike implemented a small space that houses all of their innovative technologies and popular brands under one roof. Then they fine tuned. “Converse Ink” not working, no problem. Send it back to the vendor and get it fixed. Integration between brick and mortar playground and NikeiDÂ online systems not tight enough, no problem. Get it tighter. Hurley boardshorts melting during the sublimation process, no problem. Get the customer another pair and get the system fixed. And let’s not forget, they are selling multiple brands under the same roof. It’s not just Nike 6.0, Nike SB, Nike Sportswear. They are leveraging the rest of the brand portfolio with Hurley and Converse and probably a few other items that they could get their hands on to reach their target customer. The testing in the lab went on from July to November until they were ready to open the big commercial space and reach roughly 41000 shoppers per day.
So just to recap what Nike did that is so revolutionary:
1. Concept creation
2. Lab testing
3. Fine tune concept in prep for rollout
4. Rollout
Actually it doesn’t seem that revolutionary at all…
