What makes this store different from other retail outlets in New York City? The location is built around what Nike calls "immersive experiences." If you ever wanted to do a layup in a pair of Jordans before purchasing them, now you can. Cameras in the store track customers’ movements and progress in these experiences and upload it to the Nike+ app. The store is completely connected, intended to bridge the gap between digital and brick and mortar. Not only will it know a customer's’ stride and the last time they got on the store's treadmill, it will also know which shoes they tried on last time, Nike says.
A guided sales team will take the time to be with customers one-on-one for up to an hour, whether trying on running shoes or shooting baskets. The center of the store will showcase Nike's latest innovations — in this case, the self-lacing HyperAdapt 1.0. The second floor features the largest wall of shoes ever built in a Nike store with a focus on lifestyle and training. There is also an AstroTurf field where customers can test various cleats and put them through their paces. The top floor boasts 23-foot ceilings with a half-court basketball testing area with enthusiastic trainers.
"We see [the store] as the global debut of the future of sport retail, and we see Soho as the start," Heidi O'Neill, Nike's president of direct to consumer initiatives said. The store opened for business on November 18 and Nike is hoping that it can take this store concept and apply it, either as a whole or in part, to other areas around the country.
