Category: Shopper Marketing

NikeID Loop – Sneaker Customization Concept

Here is another interesting concept coming out of Miami Ad School, this time for Nike.

Since Nike has a huge range of sneakers, its next to impossible to try each one of them at the store. In fact its not even possible to find them all at the store.

So a unique interactive mirror using Microsofts Kinect Technology was created to customize the sneakers on the users feet. This way one could try on every pair of Nike sneakers ever made in record time.

The core problem this concept tackles

Retail has a physical constraint. Shelf space. Inventory. Time. Nike’s catalog depth makes “try everything” impossible, even in flagship stores.

This concept flips the constraint by moving variety from physical inventory into a digital layer, while keeping the try-on moment anchored in the body. Your feet. Your stance. Your movement.

Why the mirror mechanic is powerful

  • It keeps context real. You see the shoe on you, not on a product page.
  • It compresses decision time. Rapid switching creates a new kind of “browsing”.
  • It turns discovery into play. The experience is inherently interactive, which increases dwell time.
  • It reduces inventory friction. The store can showcase breadth without stocking breadth.

What this implies for customization and personalization

NikeID is already about making a product feel personal. A Kinect-style mirror extends that by making customization immediate and visual, which can increase confidence before purchase.

The concept also suggests a future where “catalog” becomes a service layer. The physical store is the stage for decision-making, not a warehouse for options.

What to take from this if you run retail CX

  1. Start with the constraint. Space and assortment are physical limits. Digital can expand them.
  2. Keep the experience embodied. Seeing a product on yourself is stronger than seeing it on a screen.
  3. Design for speed. Rapid iteration can become a feature, not a compromise.
  4. Make the output actionable. The experience should flow naturally into saving, sharing, or ordering.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the NikeID Loop concept?

It is a Miami Ad School concept for Nike that uses an interactive mirror and Microsoft Kinect technology to let users customize and “try” different Nike sneakers on their feet digitally.

What problem does it solve in stores?

It addresses the fact that Nike’s full range of sneakers cannot be stocked or tried in one location, by shifting variety into a digital interface.

Why use Kinect or motion tracking?

Motion tracking lets the system align the visual shoe to the user’s feet in real time, keeping the experience believable as people move.

Is this a product or a concept?

In this case, it is presented as a concept coming out of Miami Ad School, showing a possible direction for interactive retail.

What is the transferable lesson?

If you can remove physical constraints through an embodied digital layer, you can increase choice, speed, and confidence without expanding inventory.

Nike: Trackball for CTR360

When Nike launched the CTR360 football boot in Singapore, they wanted something that could deliver the revolutionary features that make this product the ultimate in ball control.

So an interactive in-store experience was created where ball control and product knowledge of the Nike CTR360 was both seamless and seductive.

Why this retail execution works

The strongest part is that it does not separate “demo” from “education”. The interaction itself becomes the explanation. You learn by doing, and that is exactly how a ball-control product should be introduced.

  • Product truth in the mechanic. Control is demonstrated through controlled interaction, not described in copy.
  • Low friction discovery. Visitors do not need instructions to begin. The interface invites experimentation.
  • Retail as experience, not shelving. The store becomes the medium that proves the claim.

What to take from it

If your product benefit is physical or performance-based, build a retail moment that lets people feel the promise quickly. The goal is not to show every feature. It is to create one memorable proof point that makes the product easier to believe and easier to talk about.

A few fast answers before you act

What did Nike do for the CTR360 launch in Singapore?

Nike created an interactive in-store experience that demonstrated ball control while also communicating CTR360 product features through the interaction itself.

Why pair product education with interaction?

Because performance products are understood faster through demonstration than explanation. The experience makes the benefit tangible.

What is the core pattern behind this kind of retail activation?

Translate the product promise into a simple, inviting interaction. Then let that interaction deliver both the “wow” and the learning.

How do you know if an in-store experience is doing its job?

If a visitor can explain the product benefit immediately after trying it, without needing staff to interpret it, the design is working.