Innovative Product

Introduction

NIKE, Inc. (NIKE), is the largest manufacturer as well as seller of athletic footwear and apparel in the world (Wikinvest n.d.). The NIKE products are sold in over 170 countries worldwide through retail stores, online business, independent distributors and also licensees (The New York Times n.d.). It is also engaged in the activities such as design, development and marketing worldwide of its products (The New York Times n.d.). In this context, the company specializes in designing athletic footwear (Wikinvest n.d.). The footwear categories include: running, training, basketball, soccer and even sport-inspired casual shoes (The New York Times n.d., Wikinvest n.d.). Due to the increase of customer demand and the popularity of the brand, the company has begun to introduce an extension of the footwear product range. In fact, there are footwear for other athletic and recreational purposes such as aquatic activities, baseball, golf, tennis and walking (The New York Times n.d.). The product extension can be done is also due to fact that customers never have doubt on the quality (Malaysia Competitive Analysis Fashion Free Essays 1 - 20 n.d.). This is because the company possesses integrated technology and professionalism in producing athletic shoes.

A purpose of an athletic shoe is to protect the foot from the stresses of sport, while permitting the athlete to achieve his maximum potential. (Stephen M. Pribut, DPM-2010). The various types of sports may require of different types of athletic shoe. For examples, running shoe, basketball shoe, football shoe, bowling shoe, mountain-climbing shoe and so on. There is a reason to have different types of shoes specially designed for each sport, which is because shoes are essential to prevent injuries by providing the perfect cushioning and support required for each sport. (Gregg Hall) However, the differences of several type of athletic shoe are the design sole which is part of the shoe.

In order to avoid...