The thoughts and work of

$300 shoes blah blah blah

September 4, 2012

The headlines will read Nike Sells $300 Shoes and that is all people will remember but the story is more about Nike’s shift to different price points based on options. I’ve discussed how shoes and cars carry similar emotional weight for consumers but when shoe pricing starts to resemble the random sticker prices found at car dealerships you start to wonder if Nike’s business will start to resemble Ford’s.

Nike and many shoe companies have always offered “take-downs” of shoes, shoes that resemble a higher priced model but now they are offering options just like you would find at your local car dealership. Now most people can’t (won’t) quantify what any given option is worth especially when comparing the car as a whole to another car. Currently, Nike is only offering the one option, Sport Pack or no Sport Pack, but if this venture is successful I can see Nike offering even more options to their signature products.

(edit) It appears that the shoe might only cost $290 but with tax those damn things will be $300 so the headline stays.