Dive Brief:
- As Nike deepens its relationship with key wholesale partners, the athletics retailer on Wednesday announced in a press release that its loyalty program would be available alongside Dick's Sporting Goods' in the Dick's mobile app.
- Through the joint loyalty experience, customers can shop an expanded selection of Nike footwear and apparel, access exclusive product launches and collections, and attend in-store events at Dick's House of Sport locations and other stores.
- The retailers both expect to reach more customers through the combined loyalty offering, and will work together in both the physical and digital environments to "deliver enhanced convenience, new experiences and content for customers."
Dive Insight:
The next step in a long partnership, Dick's and Nike are tying together the Dick's Scorecard and Nike Membership loyalty programs within the Dick's app so customers of both can connect their accounts and receive loyalty perks from both retailers.
"Dick's and Nike have a long and successful history of working together, and this partnership represents a significant strengthening of our relationship," Lauren Hobart, president and CEO of Dick's, said in a statement. "We are both focused on delivering best-in-class experiences and products and creating the best omnichannel experience for our athletes. Combining our capabilities in these areas will create a unique experience in the market for athletes who shop with Dick's and Nike."
Indeed, as Nike has moved further away from wholesale over the years in favor of its own channels, Dick's has been one of the few partners it has prioritized. In June, Nike named Dick's among three other "large strategic partners" it works closely with, alongside Foot Locker and JD Sports. That strong relationship has been a big part of Dick's success as well, according to analysts.
Nike's loyalty programs and approach to data have been another spoke in the wheel as the retailer has worked to craft an entire ecosystem around its shoppers. Many of its store concepts incorporate the Nike loyalty program to such an extent that customers that aren't members are at somewhat of a disadvantage.
"You don't have to be a member to shop in the Nike Rise store," Daniel Heaf, vice president of Nike Direct, said over the summer about one of Nike's newest concepts, "but it is unquestionably a better experience if you are because you can access all the services."
This move to tie its loyalty program to Dick's mobile app is another way to improve the experience for shoppers. According to Sarah Mensah, vice president and general manager of North America at Nike, the brand's loyalty program "fuels deeper engagement" and gives customers access to "the very best of Nike." The integration with Dick's mobile app will help expand that offering to wherever Nike's customers like to shop, and allow Nike to continue to control its relationship with shoppers.
"Nike Membership is how we serve our consumer personally," Mensah said in a statement.
Nike and Dick's are not the only ones to pursue a joint loyalty experience. Ulta and Target, in addition to opening beauty shop-in-shops within the mass merchant's stores, also announced plans to integrate their loyalty programs in some way so that Ulta members shopping at Target can still benefit from their Ulta membership and vice versa.
