Nike’s Workout App Beats the Coronavirus Blues
The sportswear maker hooked homebound Chinese consumers on its workout apps, and then sold them the kit to go with the moves.
Shoppers in Beijing are lining back up to get their Nike shoes.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/BloombergAs consumer groups grapple with how to cope with the unprecedented impact of Covid-19, Nike Inc., one of the world’s most successful brands, has given a useful road map.
Unlike Britain’s Next Plc last week, Nike didn’t quantify the financial hit as the pandemic spreads. But it did give some helpful operational pointers, using its experience in China to identify four phases of the outbreak’s impact that retailers can expect to see on both sides of the Atlantic: The first is containment, characterized by large scale stores closures. The second is recovery, when brick and mortar outlets gradually begin to reopen. That is then followed by a return to normal conditions, and finally, sales growth.