NIKE × AMAZON
Amazon marketplace strategy
Delivering the insights that fueled Nike’s high-stakes return to Amazon—and built the experience and assortment shoppers would trust.
$500m revenue decision
Validated the launch decision and defined experience requirements
01 / BUSINESS CHALLENGE
Make the Amazon investment decision with confidence—and get the experience right.
Nike had ended its Amazon partnership to focus on direct-to-consumer growth. A few years later, reconsidering wholesale partners made a return to Amazon possible—but controversial. Leadership had stalled: the potential investment represented $500m in revenue, while getting the digital experience wrong could materially damage the business.
Key Research Questions
Should Nike make the go or no-go decision to invest in Amazon?
Which shoppers were buying Nike on Amazon, and what catalyzed that decision?
How should Nike design the marketplace experience and assortment to earn shopper trust?
02 / METHODOLOGY
Understanding Shopper Journeys via Quant + Qual
01
Map shopper journeys
Synthesized shopper journey research to define the characteristics and motivations of Nike shoppers already using the Amazon.
02
Capture purchase catalysts
Remote consumer diary studies uncovered the moments, needs, and trade-offs that led shoppers to purchase Nike on Amazon.
03
Size the opportunity
A survey statistically sized the diary-study findings, identifying three target consumers and creating a decision-ready view of marketplace demand.
03 / INSIGHTS + OUTCOMES
The right strategy required an experience built for the right shopping missions.
The research validated a launch decision, giving executive leadership confidence to renew the Amazon partnership. It also shaped a more intentional customer experience: improved search results, a premium brand shop, and an assortment built for value-seeking shoppers and convenience-driven missions such as back-to-school and replacements.
3 Target Segments
identified to focus the Amazon experience and product assortment
$500m
revenue opportunity informed by the go/no-go decision
Insights + Research | Turning complexity into clarity
John Douglass