Nike has launched a mobile raffle system aimed at making it easier for fans to obtain limited editions of its sneakers despite problems with automated computer bot programs that attack an online store’s inventory.
“Nike has found a way to control more of their inventory and possibly improve customer relations to a degree,” said Ken Wisnefski, CEO and founder of WebiMax. “At the same time this strategy appears to provide a new channel to collect leads and even market to some of their most loyal customers.”
“The text messaging aspect of this is smart because of just how universal text messaging is,” Mr. Wisnefski said. “A user might not think to check to see if a raffle is available for a pair of sneakers via an app or a Web site, but a notification a user receives as a simple text is likely to be read and keep the Nike brand top of mind.”
“The raffle system should be a great lead generation tool for Nike,” he said. “It will provide them the ability to know who is most interested in their products and continually market new products and promotions to those folks.”