OBSERVATIONAL STUDY IN NIKE SHOEROOM

INTRODUCTION Founded as an importer of Japanese shoes, NIKE, Inc. (Nike) has grown to be the world's largest marketer of athletic footwear and apparel. In the United States, Nike products are sold through about 20,000 retail accounts; worldwide, the company's products are sold in about 110 countries. Both domestically and overseas Nike operates retail stores, including NikeTowns and factory outlets. Nearly all of the items are manufactured by independent contractors, primarily located overseas, with Nike involved in the design, development, and marketing. In addition to its wide range of core athletic shoes and apparel, the company also sells Nike and Bauer brand athletic equipment, Cole Haan brand dress and casual footwear, and the Sports Specialties line of headwear featuring licensing team logos. The company has relied on consistent innovation in the design of its products and heavy promotion to fuel its growth in both U.S. and foreign markets. The ubiquitous presence of the Nike brand and its Swoosh trademark led to a backlash against the company by the late 20th century, particularly in relation to allegations of low wages and poor working conditions at the company's Asian contract manufacturers. Company Perspectives: Nike's Corporate Mission Statement: 'To be the world's leading sports and fitness company.' Principal Subsidiaries: Cole Haan Holdings Incorporated; Nike Team Sports, Inc.; Nike IHM, Inc.; Bauer Nike Hockey Inc.

Principal Competitors: Adidas-Salomon AG; Callaway Golf Company; Converse Inc.; Deckers Outdoor Corporation; Fila Holding S.p.A.; Fortune Brands, Inc.; Fruit of the Loom, Ltd.; FUBU; HI-TEC Sports USA Inc.; Levi Strauss & Co.; Nautica Enterprises, Inc.; New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.; Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation; Puma AG; R. Griggs Group Limited; Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc.; Reebok International Ltd.; Rollerblade, Inc.; Russell Corporation; Sara Lee Corporation; Skechers U.S.A., Inc.; Spalding Holdings Corporation; The Stride Rite Corporation; The Timberland Company; Timex Corporation; Tommy Hilfiger Corporation; VF Corporation; Wolverine World Wide, Inc. SOME OF THE OUTLETS IN TAMILNADU  Spencer G-174 Ground Floor Spencer Plaza Ph-III 768-769 Anna Salai Chennai - 600002, Chennai, T Nagar Shop No. 1 Ground Floor Apex Chamber Old No. 20 New No. 35 Pondy Bazar T Nagar Chennai - 600017, Chennai.

 NUNGABAKKAM,CHENNAI 40-A, Uthamar Gandhi Salai, Nungambakkam, Pin-600034, Chennai, TN, 044-43561778

 Nungambakkam 40-A Uthamar Gandhi Salai Nungambakkam Chennai - 600034., Chennai,  Pondicherry 155 Mission Street Puducherry-1, Pondicherry,

 SPENCER PLZ,CHENNAI G-174, Ground Floor, Spencer Plaza, Ph-III, 768-769, Anna Salai , Pin-600002, Chennai, TN, 044-42140774  Alwerpet TTK Road 320 TTK Road Alwarpet Chennai- 600002 Tamil Nadu, Chennai  TV Swamy Road Shop No.147 -B T.V Swamy Road ( West) R.S Puram Coimbatore-641009 Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore  Avinashi road Peelamadu, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu.

STORE SELECTED

The store selected for the observational study is located in the Avinashi road, peelamadu, Coimbatore. The store is easy assessable for both the people from Tirupur and Coimbatore. As peelamadu is the area with many colleges, many teenagers are their regular customers.

PRODUCTS Nike mens and womens sportswear: Shoes and slippers y Air force 1 y Air max y Cortez y Nike dank y Slippers and floaters. Clothing y T-Shirt y Hood les &sweats

y Track jackets y Wind runner + shells y Tops y Bottoms Gears y Backpacks y Bags Nike cricket y New team kit y Bat y Shoe Balls y Basket balls y Golf balls y Soccer balls TARGET MARKET The target market for this Nike showroom is mainly divided into two o The brand loyal customers: The main target of this store is brand loyal customers. The customer who visits this store is mainly loyal to the NIKE brand. These customers buy only NIKE product because of quality, durability, style and status. These brand loyal customers belongs to all the age group.

o Teenagers : Another target market is teenagers and youngster mainly from the age group of 18- 30 both male and female who are active teen, athletic/ sporty individuals, casual life with fashionable taste. They choose NIKE because it gives them the sense of being associated with the best no.1 product.

STORE LAYOUT The store is very neatly arranged and the sections are properly divided. It is maintained neatly with an attender to help the customers.

 Entrance

o The products are well displayed in the entrance, with two model statues (one of female and one of male) in the front. Each of the statues had worn sportswear which is on top demand. o Both of it looks muscular and shapely apt for sportsmen and women. The entrance was of see through glass through which the entire showroom can be seen from outside.

 Flooring

o The flooring was on black and white. All the areas where the display was made were on black and the rest of the areas which were to be walked on were tiled in white. It overall gave the room a classy look.  Music o Pleasant English, Hindi and Tamil music were played. o Depending on the customers the songs were changed based on the language they spoke in. heavy beats were also included to have a hyper effect.  Walls o Walls were colored white which made the products look highlighted. Some sections of the wall in which exclusive displays were made were colored orange which gave funky and in sporty look again making it look highlighted.  Colors o All similar colors were clubbed together. So that it would be easy for the customers to pick their product if they had come with color constraints. o T-shirts as well as shoes of the same colors were clubbed together.

 Clubbed Products o Based on the use of the products they are clubbed together. Tennis shoes, Training shoes, Ladies T shirts, track pants, bags etc had their own space for display.  Counter o The best part of the showroom was the counter which was at the end of the room indicating that the customer will have to browse through all the products in the room to reach the counter. o It would give an overall picture of what is available and what not. On top of the counter is the logo of NIKE in orange under white background.  Fitting rooms

o There are two fitting rooms in the store. Both of it with 4 side, full sized mirrors with good lighting.  Mirrors o There are 4 full sized mirrors attached to the walls near each of the sections of display with proper lighting. o Each of the mirrors was as broad as to hold the image of two people.

 Posters on the walls

o The posters of very famous sports starts were stuck up to give the feel of toughness and flexibility indicating that the products used by the stars were also NIKE. o The two posters were of Maria Sharapova and Liu Xing on their sport attire and success portrayal.  Shelves and Display

o The shoes are arranged very neatly facing the same direction. All ladies sandals and shoes fell on the same side and mens on the other side. o The T -shirts are hung using hangers and bags are kept on racks.

 Lightings o The lights were properly stationed and are put on all the time. Doom lights are used in all the places and special lighting effects are given to the displays and the posters highlighting them. o White lighting was used in order not to fake the colors.  Air conditioning o Centralized air conditioning system is followed by the store.  Seating o The seating is well spaced and is cushioned. The grey color acts complimentary to the black and white flooring. o It is made especially for the customers who would want to sit down and try out their footwear.  Extra Features o The seats at the ends have two boxes like mirrors tilted upward; it is designed in such a way that the footwear when worn can be seen in the mirror (only the foot). o Specially detailed boards on the type of shoes and its benefits and usage are kept on the display of where the particular shoe is kept.  Facilities o Parking facilities are limited but extended space is provided especially for two wheelers. And two parking lots for cars.  Specialty o The store operators were also using NIKE products such as T- shirts and shoes to make the customers feel that it is comfortable and worth buying and opted by many.

CUSTOMER OBSERVATION Customer 1: o The customer seems to be the brand loyal customer for NIKE because he was wearing NIKE shoe and coolers. o He came for buying slippers of NIKE. o First he asked for the black and brown slippers. As black slippers were not available the attender gave him the brown slippers. o Then the attender gave him the suggestions to buy another style of slipper. o He tried both style of slippers in front of the mirror (here mirror plays the major role) and took the slipper suggested by the attender. Customer 2: o The customer is a youngster who came inside the stores. o He came and took pictures of the shoe he wanted. He said that he wants to consult his friends regarding which color and style of shoe he wants to buy. o He said after consulting his friends he will come back and buy the shoe. Customer 3: o The next customer is two teenage girls (our juniors) who came for buying floaters for one of them. o They said they have a college trip and they wanted violet and black floaters. o The girls are brand loyal customers for Nike as they said, they usually go to the R,S puram Nike showroom for buying Nike products. o They also said that it is their first visit to this store. o They tried all the colours which is available there in front of the mirror and choosed one.

Customer 4 o This customer is a teenage girl who came to buy T-shirt for her younger brother. o She checked out all the colours of T- shirt which was hanged in the hangers o She said the price was not a problem as her brother likes only Nike T-shirt. o Then she choose red colour T-shirt. Customer 5 o This customer is a middle aged man came for the service of Nike shoe. o The attender gave him the suggestion to buy a new shoe as the shoe cannot be serviced. Customer 6 o This customer is a middle aged man who seems to be a rich person who came to buy T-shirt. o He just wandered around and saw all the types and styles of T-shirts o Then he selected few T-shirt and kept aside. o After seeing all the T-shirts, he selected two T-shirts from the few he kept aside. CONCLUSION: From the observation study we came to know about the customers behavior while buying the product and we also came to know how the product is arranged in the showroom according to the convenience of the customer.