Nike in November set member engagement records with the launch of its first globally coordinated Member Days event. The event, started in 2019, offers loyalty members special access, offers and rewards over five themed days. Would an extended-days program similar to Nike’s Member Days work for other retailers?

A university study details how digital communities can support more personal and less transactional relationships with consumers, but also carry inherent challenges and risks. Is creating a digital community a practical or far-fetched goal for most brands?

Nike has created a virtual world on the Roblox online gaming platform, NIKELAND, that enables fans of the brand “to connect, create, share experiences and compete.” How would you rate the metaverse opportunity for Nike and other brands?

While supply chain disruptions are impacting all industries, the recent closure of factories in southern Vietnam have become a particular roadblock for many in the apparel and footwear sector. Do you see a minor or major impact on the apparel and footwear sector from the Vietnam factory shutdowns?

Dick’s Sporting Goods and Nike announced yesterday that the two companies are looking to deepen their relationship that will offer customers of both companies a connection to exclusive offers and loyalty benefits via Dick’s mobile app. What will Dick’s and Nike’s connected partnership mean for each company and their customers?

Last week, Nike closed offices worldwide to let employees “enjoy additional time off to rest and recover” following a year and a half of challenges. Are higher pay and bonuses the optimal ways to recognize and de-stress hourly store and warehouse workers?

Reebok is getting another chance to recapture its past glory under new ownership by Authentic Brands Group (ABG) after nearly 15 years of floundering under Adidas. How should Reebok be repositioned for growth under ABG’s ownership?

Athleta yesterday released news of the launch of AthletaWell, a new digital platform that caters to the wellbeing of its members.  Do you think AthletaWell could be a difference maker for Athleta?

Amid Nike’s moves to consolidate wholesale accounts, a few affected retailers are expressing confidence they’ll be able to shift to other vendors to fill the void. In March, Nike informed six chains that they were being cut off. Nine others were similarly informed in 2020.  How difficult will it be for most chains to replace Nike’s sales?

Nike sent out an internal memo last week calling on U.S. employees to return to work at world headquarters in Beaverton, OR at least three full days a week, with the option to work up to two days remotely. What benefits and challenges will a hybrid workweek likely present for Nike?

Lululemon Athletica is the latest retailer to dip its toes into the secondhand, AKA recommerce or resale, clothing market.  Do you expect lululemon’s “Like New” pilot program to prove successful for the retailer?

Nike is selling used sneakers directly to consumers with the launch of Nike Refurbished, a program that takes sneakers returned by customers, inspects and cleans them up for resale at a lower price to the brand’s loyalists. Do you see Refurbished as a program that Nike will scale in a big way or will it remain a niche offer?

Levi Strauss has made clear that it sees a bigger opportunity to expand its business by selling its clothing directly to consumers. What do you see as the challenges and opportunities facing Levi Strauss as it seeks to expand its consumer-direct business?

Nike reportedly plans to stop selling to six additional wholesale accounts as it increasingly emphasizes direct-to-consumer commerce and exits “undifferentiated” wholesale accounts. Is Nike at risk of no longer reaching certain customer segments or geographies with its pivot to direct-to-consumer and select “strategic” wholesale partners?

Foot Locker recently began piloting a drop ship program with Nike to provide customers with access to inventory beyond its stores and warehouses.  Do you see more positives than negatives in drop shipping for retailers?

On its third-quarter conference call last week, Nike Inc. expounded on its recent acquisition of Datalogue, a data integration platform, and its overall push to tap insights that it can use to drive personalization at scale. How do you see Nike benefiting from enhanced customer analytics via its recent acquisitions?

All the companies on Fast Company’s list of the 10 most innovative retailers of 2021 all found success during the pandemic helping deliver the “immersive, seamless experiences” increasingly demanded by consumers. Which companies would land on your list of the most innovative in the retail space over the last year and why?

The wholesale model has been driving retail for decades. Today, a mini-movement is underway, as brands like Nike and Under Armour announce pullbacks on wholesale relationships.  Is the wholesale model in soft goods retailing at odds with direct-to-consumer initiatives?

Nike on Friday reported its third straight quarter of online growth of approximately 80 percent. But the bigger long-term benefit is expected to come from enhanced digital engagement that has added more than 70 million new members globally since the pandemic arrived. How important is membership engagement to Nike’s recent success?

Under Armour has announced that it plans to cull “undifferentiated retail partners” from its distributor list to focus more on its own consumer-direct digital initiatives. Do you think Under Armour has the right strategy in place to grow its business?

Retailers have at least three paths to join in on the upcoming elections: giving their employees time off to vote, encouraging customers to go to the polls and selling election merchandise. What advice would you give retailers and brands for taking advantage of marketing or merchandising opportunities around the upcoming presidential election?

For its first California Power Store, Foot Locker has committed to hiring local by partnering with the City of Compton to recruit talent within a five-mile radius of the location. Should hiring local be a priority for retailers, and is it a feasible goal for most?

Nike is ending its wholesale relationships with Belk, Dillard’s, Zappo’s and other retailers as the athletic lifestyle brand continues to focus more on consumer-direct, according to an analyst. What is your take on Nike’s reported plans to sever its wholesale relationship with Zappos and other retailers?

Nike last week launched a new store concept — Nike Rise — in China that promises a curated “1-to-1, personalized shopping experience that connects consumers to sport, their communities and one another.” Does Nike Rise appear to bring additional value to Nike’s portfolio of retail concepts?

On July 9, international streetwear and sneaker retailer SNIPES added its first stateside experiential flagship, launched in a city with both sneakerheads and multiple other experiential footwear flagships. Is now the right time for SNIPES to try to establish itself more firmly in the U.S. sneaker market with a brick-and-mortar flagship?

Like others, Nike is accelerating its digital transformation due to the pandemic. However, in a linked move, member engagement is being made an equal priority. Does it make sense for most brands to prioritize driving digital engagement offline to loyalty members as well as online?

Nike’s “most important priority,” he said, is to fix its internal challenges around diversity and inclusion. Do you agree that consumers are generally demanding more than statements of solidarity from brands and retailers around social causes or is racial inequality a unique issue?

Apparel retailers and brands with closed stores have resorted to a number of tactics to move excess inventory. Is purposeful giving a viable way for fashion brands and retailers to address the current inventory glut?

IKEA is earning wide praise for offering illustrated instruction manuals on Instagram for building a series of at-home forts. The campaign’s goal: keep the kids occupied in coronavirus lockdown. What type of messaging should brands be sharing with consumers as they stay at home?

Free coffee, donuts and shoes are among the items retailers and brands are bestowing on health professionals for the risks they’re taking combatting the coronavirus pandemic. What advice would you have for retailers and brands around supporting health professionals and other organizations fighting the coronavirus pandemic?

On its third-quarter conference call Tuesday, Nike said its experience managing the COVID-19 pandemic in China has provided an “operational playbook” for “an expedited return to profitable, capital-efficient growth.” What lessons does Nike’s coronavirus playbook offer to retailers and brands?

“If you ever dreamed of playing for millions around the world, now is your chance. Play inside, play for the world.” That advertising campaign embracing the importance of social distancing came out Saturday from Nike. What advice would you have about appropriate messages from brands and retailers during the COVID-19 crisis?

IKEA announced the kickoff of a six-month test selling its products to Chinese consumers on Alibaba’s Tmall online marketplace. Are third-party platforms becoming increasingly critical for retailers selling to U.S. consumers or is online marketplace participation primarily required in other countries?

Apple, Nike, Warby Parker, Abercrombie & Fitch, Urban Outfitters, Glossier and Allbirds were among a number of retailers that have closed or announced plans to close their U.S. stores to help stop the spread of coronavirus. Should all non-essential stores temporarily close to counter the spread of coronavirus?

Vans’ new Los Angeles store is meant to pay respect to a city that’s possessed to skate. The location, billed as a community-driven retail and event space, has two floors and features art made by professional skateboarders and other local artists. What do you find most intriguing about Vans’ experiential store concepts and activities?

Prices on Kobe Bryant sneakers and jerseys soared two to three times within 24 hours following news of the sudden death of the Los Angeles Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant. Is it ethical for resellers of Kobe Bryant merchandise to raise prices in light of increased demand brought about by his untimely death?

IKEA recently decided to end a pilot in which the retailer tested the strategy of selling on Amazon.com’s U.S. site, although it apparently isn’t giving up on marketplaces — those operated by others or on its own. What do you take from the decision by IKEA to not sell its products on Amazon?

Nike last November controversially ended its direct sales relationship with Amazon. Yet at the NRF Big Show, a Nike VP discussed how the sneaker giant’s partnership with Zalando should serve as a “blueprint” for others to follow. What’s the best piece of advice Stuart Hogue offered for brands selling to and partnering with marketplaces?

In 2017, Nike hoped to reduce counterfeits and increase sales when it signed a pilot deal with Amazon. The benefits evidently weren’t enough. What will the end of Nike’s deal with Amazon mean for each company in the short- and medium-term?

Nike announced earlier this week that its longtime chief executive, Mark Parker, would be stepping down from that role and be replaced by former eBay CEO John Donahoe in January. What do you think of Nike’s decision to name former eBay CEO John Donahoe as the athletic lifestyle brand’s new president and chief executive?

Sports Direct, the UK’s largest sporting goods chain, is calling for a Europe-wide investigation into the dominance of Nike and Adidas in sports retailing. Do retailers have any rights to the brands they’ve built their business around?

Nike Adventure Club is the athletic brand’s first subscription service designed for kids. Nike is promoting the service, which launched yesterday, as “a parent’s best friend.” Do you expect that the Nike Adventure Club will be a success or a failure?

Nike Inc. has acquired Celect, a predictive analytics firm founded by MIT professors, to accelerate its ability to match inventories to consumer needs. Is marrying predictive analytics and RFID a strategy that will become a competitive necessity for big retail chains?

University researchers have formulated a scale of 10 characteristics defining “coolness” that can be used to assess if a brand is becoming cool and staying cool. What are the benefits and limitations to brand managers of a measurement model of brand coolness?

Nike earned wide praise last week for installing its first plus-size mannequin in one of its stores. The mannequins are featured on a special floor dedicated to women at its refurbished flagship in London. Why has it taken so long for plus-sized mannequins to make it to retail selling floors?

Foot Locker will be opening its latest Power Store in Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood, according to SGB Media. What might Foot Locker have to do to make itself a unique offering for NYC sneakerheads?

The list of retailers and consumer brands setting up their own storefronts on Amazon.com continues to grow. Are retailers and brands getting over their reluctance to sell on competitive marketplaces such as Amazon, Target and Walmart and, if so, why?

Nike just joined a growing crop of brands that now expects over half of its sales to eventually originate online. Does it make sense for a category such as Nike’s to eventually see more online than offline sales?

On October 20, smartphone-touting sneakerheads ventured across Los Angeles to participate in Foot Locker’s first “The Hunt” augmented reality (AR) scavenger hunt. Can techniques used in Foot Locker’s “The Hunt” and Nike’s “SNKRS” AR-driven scavenger hunt experiences be applied to other product categories and retailers?

Nike surprised some last year when it agreed to sell directly to Amazon.com and did it again last week when revealing a partnership with Walmart’s Jet.com. Do you see any issues with Nike selling directly on Jet.com’s revamped website with the platform’s connection to Walmart?