Nike has announced that it will no longer sell its products on Amazon following a two year relationship between the businesses. The original deal was based upon Nike selling direct to Amazon on agreement that Amazon would remove counterfeit Nike items from, and block unauthorised third parties from selling Nike products on, its sites.
This latest move is seen as evidence of Nike’s growing desire to control the individual relationship with its end customers as it has also said that it is looking to slash the number of retail stockists of its products around the world in favour of those who deliver the strongest customer service. Investment in its own digital marketplace is being prioritised and Nike is also expected to ‘up the ante’ in respect of homing in on manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of counterfeit ‘Nike’ products, and forcing them out of business, in order to protect its brand integrity.
In a statement to Bloomberg, Nike said: “as part of Nike’s focus on elevating consumer experiences through more direct, personal relationships, we have made the decision to complete our current pilot with Amazon Retail. We will continue to invest in strong, distinctive partnerships for Nike with other retailers and platforms to seamlessly service our consumers globally.”
Former eBay CEO John Donahue takes the reins at Nike in January.
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