Bags / Shoes & Accessories

This Monday, Matt Powell, a senior consultant in the sports industry of the market research company NPD Group, tweeted that in the first quarter of 2021, the American sports brand Brooks defeated Nike and became the number one brand in the women's functional running shoes sector.

Matt Powell cited retail industry data tracked by the NPD Group. In the first quarter, Brooks's sales increased by 88% compared to the same period in 2019 (pre-epidemic), while Nike's sales fell by 39% compared to the same period in 2019.

According to Brooks COO Dan Sheridan, in the first quarter, the sales of Brooks women’s functional running shoes accounted for 58% of total sales. “(There is such a performance) is not accidental, as early as 20 years ago. We realized that functional running shoes are a category that can eternally develop."

Matt Powell said: "I think Brooks has built a very strong product portfolio. At the same time, the marketing methods they are adopting are very effective. Brooks has cut off most of its business in recent years and refocused its development on In the running shoe market, this kind of precision marketing in a specific market can attract many beginner runners. In addition, they have expanded the scope of distribution and sold sports shoes in the mass market. All these measures have brought Brooks back. And Nike has been in these years. In focusing on the development of different product lines, compared to Brooks, some specific Nike products have lost their advantages in the market.

"I think Nike has focused more on fashion and design in recent years, but the market has changed, and more and more consumers have begun to pay attention to functional products (such as jogging shoes and hiking shoes). develop interest".

In the past few years, Brooks has completed an omni-channel deployment strategy including physical stores, online retailers, and its own websites. Dan Sheridan said that despite the outbreak last year, Brooks DTC channel sales were in total sales. Accounted for 25%, but other channels are equally important for attracting consumers.

"Some of our competitors are shifting their development strategies to DTC channels. For example, Nike recently cut off wholesale cooperation with retailers such as Dillard's, Zappos, DSW, Urban Outfitters and Shoe Show. Adidas said that by 2025, half of its Business will be transferred to the DTC channel. Brooks takes the completely opposite approach. We believe that runners usually don’t buy products through only one channel. They usually understand product information through multiple channels and don’t give priority to Purchase through specific channels," Dan Sheridan said.

About Brooks

Brooks was founded in 1914 and is headquartered in Seattle, USA. It is committed to the research and development of professional sports shoes. It is the first professional brand among sports brands to use the EVA midsole material necessary for sports shoes. Brooks initially only carried out the processing business for other sports goods companies. In 1972, it officially launched its own brand products. After nearly 40 years of brand development, Brooks' products cover various sports clothing and equipment including running and football.