Athletic apparel retailers are revamping store layouts to become more immersive in a continued push to pull in more customers.
This week, Foot Locker rolled out its second U.S. store under its new “Store of the Future” concept. The revamped Foot Locker, which is in New York City, includes foot-scanning stations, a sneaker cleaning and customization bar, a kids’ activity table and a digital screen that measures how high someone can jump. Meanwhile, this year, Dick’s Sporting Goods is opening eight more “House of Sports” locations with experiential aspects like rock climbing walls and batting cages. And last month, Nike opened its first “World of Flight” store for Jordan Brand in Mexico, complete with shoe and apparel customization areas and a seating lounge.
Sports retailers — especially ones that carry footwear and apparel — are making their stores more interactive at a time in which many people still prefer to buy items in person. According to a recent survey by Gartner, 58% of U.S. consumers would rather shop in-store for clothing, shoes and accessories, compared to 39% for online. Although many companies offer these products at steep discounts online, retailers like Foot Locker and Dick’s Sporting Goods are pouring money into large-scale store redos or experiential store concepts to set themselves apart.
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