Nike Marketing. Market Research – Nike Inc. Coursework.

Market Research – Nike Inc.
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 Market Research – Nike Inc.
Company Overview
Nike is a renowned sportswear company that employs innovative design and manufacturing techniques to enhance sporting activities. It incorporates Nike, Jordan Brand, Converse, and Hurley. Besides design and manufacturing, Nike Inc. is also responsible for the supply, sale, and marketing of its sportswear products among other sporting equipment.  Adidas, Gucci, Puma, and Under Armour are the major competitors of Nike in the sportswear industry. 
Consumer Analysis
Nikes’ main focus is in the sports industry. Consumers are participants in sporting activities like soccer, tennis, basketball, football, golf, hockey, and even baseball. Short and long-distance athletes are also among the major consumers of Nike products. Fitness activities have increased rapidly in the recent past as a way of fighting against lifestyle diseases and Nike has leverage on this, manufacturing apparel that is appropriate for gymnasts, yoga fanatics, and even hikers. The millennials are currently the largest consumers of Nike products especially sneakers (Berger, 2018). The brand name and comfy and unique quality are the major driving forces for Nike’s vast consumer markets. 
Nike contractors manufacture sportswear products that are then sold directly to the consumers via Nike outlets situated in most parts of the world. In this case, Nike is an example of a Business-to-Consumer (B2C) Company (Teece, 2018). In the recent past, there has been a growing variation in sporting and fitness activities and has fueled competition among the sportswear in manufacturing and distribution giants. Nike however, has been able to respond effectively to the growing preference shifts of customers by incorporating innovative designs such as the Additive Manufacturing (Meier et al., 2019). 
Potential future opportunities
Nike has specific operation segments; North America, Western Europe, Central & Eastern Europe, Greater China, Japan, and Emerging Markets (CSIMarket, n.d.). Africa, Brazil, and China having the vast majority of athletes and sports persons provides a potential market place for Nike and its products. Nike has tried to venture into digital investment by introducing Nike.com, Nike+, and other techniques that exploit social media capabilities for online sales. By these means, Nike has the potential to reach out to more consumers and also get a better understanding of consumer preferences by leveraging on the digital footprint. By embracing new technologies such as 3D printing for manufacturing, Nike will be able to fast track its manufacturing process while maintaining the quality of their products. Nike's valuation is approximately $34 billion whereas the closest competitor in the sportswear industry, Adidas, is valued at approximately $16 billion (Ore, 2020). The huge margin with her peers poses a ...