Are Retail Holidays Becoming the Norm? Nike SNKRS Day vs. Yeezy Day

While there is already a National Shoe The World Day on March 15 each year that focuses on "the importance of footwear and the need for quality footwear for millions of people worldwide who can’t afford or don’t have access to it," Nike and adidas have taken it upon themselves to create their own shoe-themed holidays.

Nike SNKRS Day, an event originally created in 2017 to celebrate the launch of the Nike app in 19 European countries, is now supposed to be a massive yearly celebration for sneaker enthusiasts. Nike recently concluded its 2023 event this past Sept. 9 with its first worldwide debut. However, as the hours ticked by, many were left wondering if the hype truly matched the reality.

Nike only launched a limited number of exclusive products, leaving consumers uncertain about the holiday's value. Much to the fans' disappointment, there were no restocks of previously sold-out items that many had anticipated.

According to multiple posts on social media, while securing a pair might have seemed feasible, it was a frustrating day for many. Queues were long, and by the time fans made it through, many sizes were already sold out. One person on Reddit claimed that "SNKRS day was absolute trash," and another stated that they checked every hour, but Nike didn't drop anything new. Another commenter added, "So what exactly was supposed to happen today? Re-stocks? Shock Drops? Raffles? What made today SNKRS Day? Because it honestly felt like any other day."

With bitter tastes left in their mouths, the overall sentiment seems lackluster for any future SNKRS Day holidays. This is unfortunate since past Nike SNKRS Day events proved more successful. The first anniversary of Nike's app and SNKRS Day "restocked some of the most exclusive and sought-after sneakers," with the Sean Wotherspoon x Air Max 1/97 model being "one of the brand’s most grailed drops in recent memory." Regardless, SNKRS Day this year still succeeded in bringing attention back to the Nike brand and giving fans something to look forward to and talk about.

Nike SNKRS Day 2022, in comparison, had plenty of stock for their limited releases, ensuring that most customers were able to purchase what they wanted. Live performances and other surprises also kept Nike fans entertained all throughout the day.

Even if this year's SNKRS Day was underwhelming, it doesn't mean all brand holidays follow that trend. Since 2019, Yeezy Day has been successful, offering a combination of new releases and restocks of previously sold-out styles. Even after adidas dropped the brand, the final Yeezy Day on Aug. 2 this year "proved to be a tremendous monetary success for adidas, as they amassed a revenue of $437 million USD solely from Yeezy sneaker sales. Despite this significant intake, consumer demand far exceeded the supply. A total of $565 million USD worth of Yeezy product orders were placed," according to Sole Retriever.

In a similar fashion, Amazon has its yearly Prime Day sales event, and many big-name retailers hold yearly anniversary sales, like the recent Nordstrom holiday from July 17 to Aug. 6.

A retail brand’s holiday could be an excellent platform to surprise its loyal customers and fans while creating a genuinely memorable experience. It will be interesting to see which companies take full advantage of this potential.