Early LeBron Shoe Sales Show Positive Trend
By: Darren Rovell
CNBC Sports Business Reporter
CNBC Sports Business Reporter
All the marketing polls reflect that LeBron James clearly hurt himself with the way "The Decision" went down in July.
But business statistics don't lie.
An extensive survey of retailers by CNBC reflected that many considered the LeBron 8, which hit stores last week, a good sell. Another described sales as average, while one retailer said sales were miserable.
Matt Powell, analyst for SportsOneSource, a market retail tracking firm, said he spoke to three retailers who told him this was on pace to be their best-selling LeBron shoe yet. Powell also said that sales of NBA jerseys over the last four weeks are up more than 30 percent, thanks to people buying LeBron, Wade and Bosh jerseys.
Continue to read the rest of the article here: http://www.cnbc.com/id/39967513
In a 2 paragraph response (a minimum of 5 sentences for each paragraph), answer the following questions.
In paragraph # 1, discuss which one of these challenges you feel is the hardest to overcome and why? Do you feel there are other challenges that are not mentioned in the article? Be specific with your thoughts. In paragraph # 2, talk about a shoe that has recently come out that you are really impressed with. What makes it so impressive? Do you own a pair? What shoes does it compete with? Be specific with your thoughts.
Please sign your name to the bottom of your blog entry.
The article discusses a few of the challenges the shoe has. "Besides the criticism from "The Decision," the LeBron 8 had several obstacles entering the marketplace. One was clearly price. At $160, the shoe is one of the highest priced premium basketball shoes on the market.
Another concern is the weight of LeBron's shoe, which could be considered a turnoff as the focus moves to lighter weight shoes. While the shoe does feature Nike technology like Flywire and a full length air bag, it is heavier than other shoes that have hit shelves.
In paragraph # 1, discuss which one of these challenges you feel is the hardest to overcome and why? Do you feel there are other challenges that are not mentioned in the article? Be specific with your thoughts. In paragraph # 2, talk about a shoe that has recently come out that you are really impressed with. What makes it so impressive? Do you own a pair? What shoes does it compete with? Be specific with your thoughts.
Please sign your name to the bottom of your blog entry.
Lebron 8
ReplyDeleteRecently, the Lebron 8 by NIKE has been released, the 8th installment of Lebron James’ signature shoe. Aside from the criticism that Lebron bears for his textbook narcissism and “The Decision,” the shoe has done very well in retail sales according to three store owners. One of the obstacles I find that was not mentioned in the article was that some people just don’t like Lebron and his persona. Also, they should have released the shoe in multiple colors, so that people can have a customization incentive to spending over $150 on his shoe. Maybe if you were a Laker fan, but liked the style of the shoe more than all the others, you should have been able to get a purple and yellow shoe. Maybe for Celtics fans it could be white and green.
One shoe I have been particularly impressed with is the re-released Larry Bird Converses. I like it because, aside from the fact that Larry Bird was the greatest basketball player ever in my eyes, it is also a great looking shoe. From what I’ve read, the shoe is ergonomically engineered so that whoever wears it, whether it be a basketball player or otherwise, they are comfortable and satisfied with the shoe. Converse, if it were to start a campaign for this retro shoe alongside Magic Johnson’s rival shoe from Converse, would make a ton of money.
JOEY DOLAN
LeBron’s new shoe has come out at a time when the economy is low and many question his motives. This is a very big challenge to overcome. While Floridians are, mostly, happy about the change they are more likely to buy his shoe. In the article retailers in Ohio has seen moderate results. This may be because he left Cleveland but it could also be that the shoe is pretty expensive and not like other new basketball shoes.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know what shoes have come out. I like Sperry’s, Sanuk, rain boots, Rainbows, and more. I like wearing a comfortable shoe that will keep me dry in the heat and cold. On a day like today I am wearing my rain boots that I got at Target for twenty dollars. I bought my Sanuk’s online and my Sperry’s at Nordstrom. The cleats that I have are from Models, they are Nike’s.
Maggie Sawyers
I believe that the hardest obstacle to overcome for the LeBron 8 would be the weight. Changing the price is relatively easy; you just need to lower it. As for the weight, that’s another issue. To change the weight of a shoe, you would need to completely reconstruct it. This takes a lot more effort than just lowering or raising the price. If they had wanted to improve this product’s weight, they should probably just take out the air bag and replace the material the shoe is made out of with a breathable material. This would solve the weight problem and make it cost less.
ReplyDeleteOne shoe that has come out recently that impresses me is the F50 Adizero. These are soccer cleats, and are the lightest pair on the market right now. I have a pair of them, and they are not only light but also very comfortable. The Adizero’s are made out of carbon fiber, and weigh less than the Nike Mercurial’s, which are the shoes that they are competing with. Mercurials have been the lightest shoes on the market for many years now. But now, they have to work for that title. The Adizeros are much lighter than the mercurial’s, and not to mention much more comfortable. They are definitely my favorite cleats that have come out.
-Jack O'Donnell
I think the biggest challenge for lebron selling anything because of the choice he made over the summer and go to Miami and leave Cleveland. You would think that the people in Cleveland would not want to buy anything that to do with lebron since he left them. So the new Lebrons called the lebrons 8 if he had not left the cavs he probably would be making more money on the shoes or his jerseys. They have made a lot of money on the shoes but the sales where not great I bet they could have been better if he did not make that terrible decision. Also the price could hurt the shoe since who wants to pay $160.00 dollars just for a shoe I would not that’s crazy.
ReplyDeleteI saw the Derek jeter cleats that came out not that long ago they where made by the came people that make Michael Jordan shoes it had that same sign as do all Derek jeter cleats that he has. They would go up against other cleats like Easton cleats or other famous baseball players cleats. Like the new Alex Rodriguez cleats that came out that are also pretty cool. The new Derek jeter cleats are metal just like the ones that he would have on during a game. They would not cost as much as the new lebrons 8 like half that I got mine for about $80.00.
Keith Krause
In my opinion the biggest challenge that Nike has to overcome dealing with the new LeBron 8 is the weight. It may not be the biggest problem with the shoe but it is the hardest to overcome because it can’t be changed. The shoe is already made and produced and is going to sell everywhere so reproduction of a lighter shoe will take time for development which they don’t have and also more money for the product. So if customers want a lighter shoe and they view LeBron’s shoe as too heavy and they leave it alone then it’ll die off and not stay on the racks for long. I feel the challenges that aren’t mentioned in the article is really only that the competition with other shoes such as Jordan is as strong as ever and doubts about the shoe can cause a big downfall in sale.
ReplyDeleteA shoe that has been recently released that has really impressed me was the Nike Air Elite PreGame. It is a baseball turf shoe that was released not long ago for mainly baseball players. What makes it so impressive is the new look of a track shoe on a baseball shoe and it looks sleek. I do own a pair of these shoes and I do own a pair of some of its competitors such as the new Mizuno turfs that were released at around the same time.
Thomas Baird
I think that the hardest challenge to overcome is getting valuable fans back. None of the other challenges are mention in the article but are very important as well. This is the hardest challenge because without fans it would be impossible to make money. If fans refused to go to or watch games then it would be very difficult to make money because they don’t like you. That is why I think it is the hardest challenge to overcome.
ReplyDeleteI shoe that has impressed me is the new running shoes that Aisic came out with. It impresses me because it is a very comfortable and lightweight shoe. It is very nice to wear while you’re running because it makes you feel like it hugging your feet as you run. This shoe competes with other shoes in its class. Like some Addidas running shoes or other Nike running shoes. That is a shoe that has impressed me.
Abel Henok
The LeBron 8 certainly has some problems that costumers and consumers might not like. The one that I think affects the shoe the most is how heavy it is. Sure it has Nike technology, but you want a light shoe for jumping, not a heavy shoe. If I’m going to pay $160 then this shoe better be useful, and not just expensive because it’s LeBron’s shoe. I feel like another challenge includes competing with other shoes, for example Air Jordans.
ReplyDeleteThe New Balance 993’s really impress me. They certainly compete with the New Balance 992’s and have probably caused New Balance not to make the 992’s anymore. I do own a pair myself. I really like the design on the shoe, and many people would agree. I don’t think it’s much different from the 992’s but it’s a very nice shoe. It’s also not that expensive I think the highest you’ll find it at would be $112. New Balance comes out with really nice shoes. I also like the New Balance 574’s.
Luis Reyes
I think the biggest challenge in selling the Lebron 8 is the people who now hate Lebron. These people won’t buy the shoe, and they’ll talk trash about people who do buy the shoe, thus making other people reluctant to buy it themselves. But on the other hand, all the PR around Lebron could attract attention to the shoe, and once people see the shoe and read reviews and stuff then maybe they’ll want to buy it. The PR could go both ways.
ReplyDeleteI bought some nice shoes over the summer, which came out sometime before that, but they are the most recent shoes I’ve bought so I will discuss those. They are the DC Kalis 7s. It is a skateboarding shoe, and has many great features, though I can’t say if they all work because I haven’t skated in them yet. They have a tough toecap made of something pretty stiff so they don’t rip so easy, they have great grip, lace protectors so the laces don’t rip, and a thick insole for good padding on landings, so you don’t hurt your feet. This shoe competes with other skate shoes brands such as Nike SB, Vans, Supra, and DVS, but the Kalis is most similar to certain shoes from Nike and DVS than the other brands.
DIL AMERKHAIL.
I think one of the hardest challenges for the new shoes are the competition of other shoes. Whoever has the best benefits the most will be successful. Some business goes out of business because the other company does better than the other one. I think if the shoes are heavy less people will buy it. That would be a problem for athletes also.
ReplyDeleteI think jordans in general are a great competition. No matter what style it is they also seem to sell out. The designs make it look nice. It also has a great benefit. They sell cleats, sandals, and other running shoes as well. They feel comfortable so it’s better than heavy shoes.
I think the price of the shoe is going to be the hardest. Because it cost so much and not many people are going to be able to afford it. I do believe that there are some challenges that aren’t telling us. They what to make sure the shoe sells good and that they don’t lose any profit. The shoe could be so light that it might not be put together well.
ReplyDeleteI think that Jordon just came out with a new shoe. I think that this one is a good shoe and will make a lot of money. One thing that makes it so impressive is that it was made for Jordan and that he had made great shoes before. I don’t own his newest pair. It competes with a lot of other shoe brands and other people making shoes. Like Nike, Reebok, New Balance, converse and some other high name brands.
The hardest challenge to overcome is the weight of the shoes, because you won’t be able to change the weight as much. Even though the shoe contains Nike technology and a full length air bag, the shoes shouldn’t weigh as much as it does. The material of the shoe also makes the shoe weigh a lot. It depends on the material and the things you put in the shoe. I don’t think there are any more challenges. I think the two main ones are the pricing of the shoe and the weight of the shoe.
ReplyDeleteThe shoe that really impressed me are the Adidas F50, because I love soccer and when you’re playing with them on the field, the shoe is soft and its not as heavy as other soccer cleats. They come in different styles and colors, that’s why from the moment I saw the shoes, I knew I had to get them, plus soccer player, Messi had them, so I knew I had to have them. The Adidas F50 has impressed me a lot, because all my teammates and other friends who own the shoes, have told me that the shoes are great. They are very comfortable and they are not as heavy as other soccer cleats. I don’t own a pair, but when the next soccer season comes. The shoes compete with Nike cleats (Mercurial), which not the same, because they are heavier then the Adidas cleats. The good thing about this shoe is that Nike makes their soccer cleats wide in the front, and for people who have a wide foot, this shoe would be better for them.
Anna Vallejo
I do think that the price will be the biggest challenge for LeBron’s shoe to overcome. People won’t mind how heavy the shoe is because if they are going to pay $160 for a pair of shoes, why mess them up playing basketball. A shoe priced at $160 will not only be hard to sell, but the sociographic target market is not a very big one. There aren’t many people who can casually spend $160 on a pair of shoes without having second thoughts.
ReplyDeleteA new shoe that Vans is releasing is a kid targeting shoe, based off a children’s TV show Yo Gabba Gabba. This new shoe does many things for Vans, there isn’t much competition in the Kid’s shoe market and it will also encourage younger kids to go skate. I personally don’t want a pair of these shoes, but if a kid is interested in the show, then this could help them become active in the skate scene.
Luke Gardner
I think that the biggest challenge they have to overcome is the weight distribution of the shoe. Being the heaviest shoe on the market can be a big turnoff to customers, but it can also be a big problem when they look at the sales this season. I think that another challenge that can be a problem for the Lebron 8’s, could be the criticism from former Lebron fans. Even though the shoe sold well despite the “Decision” commercial, I believe that there are still some fans that dislike Lebron still. But even though there are some problems showing up from the shoe, I think that through it all it could be a big deal for the sneaker industry.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of a good sports shoe I think that it has to be light, comfortable and easy to move around in. It also has to perform well in the sport I am playing. The one shoe that comes to mind when thinking of these characteristics is the Nike Vapor jets. This shoe is a very impressive shoe when it comes to football cleats and it has been a good shoe for me ever since it was released. The first pair of vapor jets I ever owned was light and very stylish. And it also was very comfortable to be and helped me a lot in my sport. I think that there is a lot of competition when it comes to cleats for football, and I think that the Nike vapor jets perform very well against them all.
-Brandon Smith
The lebran shoe sales are showing a positive trend! The shoes hit the store last week and are making a huge hit with people. Kids and adults alike are buying his shoe. The shoes cost 160 dollars, this is a very expensive price even for shoes. Why buy shoes for 160 when you can get just as good of a pair for say 60 dollars. The shoe itself is also heavier than most other shoes and this could be a turnoff for buyers because if you are playing sports you would want a lighter weighted shoe.
ReplyDeleteThis shoe would probably compete with other nike shoes such as other basketball players shoes for instance shakes shoes would be a competetitor of LeBrans shoes. The shoe that has come out the has really impressed me is this shoe LeBrans new shoe I do not have a pair but it seems like a good quality shoe.
Ever since Lebron James made the decision to leave Cleveland to go to Miami his fan base has dropped significantly. He receives more boos than any other player in the NBA. This I believe will be the biggest challenge for him to overcome business wise. You need your all of your fans in order to be successful in selling shoes. Once he overcomes this he will be more successful in the shoe business.
ReplyDeleteThe Lebron 8’s are a brand new shoe that is selling quite well. A lot of basketball players everywhere are investing in this shoe. The Lebrons are in major competition with the new Nike Hyper Fuses. The Hyper Fuses are selling a lot more than the Lebron 8’s. The Lebrons are so impressive because they are a state of the art basketball shoe that is promoted by NBA allstar Lebron James.
I think the hardest challenge is the money cost of the shoe. The cost $160 which is one of the highest priced shoes for basketball, because of the economy I think that most people would a hard time dealing with the price of the shoe. Also not just of the pricing of the shoe articles are also saying that the LeBron 8 is heavier than most shoes in the marketplace for basketball. Even though it does have all these things to overcome it does have all of Nike new technology.
ReplyDeleteA new shoe that I like is the Nike new running shoe. The reason why I like this shoe is because it is light then most shoe and has more grip at the bottom of the shoe to run on easier. I don’t own a pair of the new running shoes. Some of the companies that are competing with Nike could be Adidas there new products.
The challenge to overcome the most, i think, is the price of the shoes being at $160. To me, thats way to expensive for a pair of shoes. The most i would spend on shoes is $100. Its not that great of a product and thats probably why its not selling as much as they expect it too, because of it being so highly priced. Another challenge may be be finding the one's you want. They may have only made a certain amount to wear your size has already been bought out.
ReplyDeleteA shoe that's recently came out that I've been impressed with is the Reebok easytones. I wouldn't wear them, but for the ladies it's great. It tones there butts! I know for sure many girls would like that or even need it. I'm sure it competes with many other shoes, but Reebok is a big company and beats out all the other shoes.
Jeremy Wagner
The hardest adversity to overcome when dealing with this shoe is the weight. Light shoes are so popular these days. Everyone is focused on getting that half a step ahead of their competitor. The faults of the shoe do not want to be mentioned in the article that could possibly keep people from buying it. The number one concern of Lebron and those involved with making the shoe is to get them off the shelves and put money into their pockets.
ReplyDeleteThe new Nike Air Hurache’s cleats are impressive to me. These shoes are light and comfortable. It feels as if you are wearing tennis shoes but you are really wearing cleats. I do not own a pair myself but I have tried on a friend’s pair and I really liked them. These cleats are competing with the Nike vapor cleats which have also become very popular among athletes.
nI think that the hardest challenge LeBron’s shoes has to overcome is price. The economy is still in a recession. Many people don’t have a house, or food to eat. If they don’t have enough money to buy food, they are not going to spend the little money they have in a $160 shoes. Even if you have the money to buy the shoes, they are still too expensive. I would pay up to $120 for shoes, but $160 is too much. I understand that they are one of the premium basketball shoes in the market, but they should cost around $120-140.
ReplyDeleteA shoe that I was really impressed with is the Nike LunarGlide+ 2 Men’s running shoes. One reason why I like this shoes is because they look great. Another reason is because they are very light. I like light shoes for running, so this shoes are very helpful. Another reason is because they are very comfortable. If the shoes don’t feel right, I am not going to get them.
Jaime Avila
This shoe probably has a lot of problems. One of witch is mentioned it the weight of the shoe. There is also the price issue. Most parents don’t want to buy there kids a 160 dollar shoe when they can but them a 50 dollar shoe. I think that shoe also has a very small target market. Not a lot of old people will be buying this shoe
ReplyDeleteVans has just released there new shoe called You Gabba Gabba. This shoe is very colorful and has a low price of 32 dollars. The target market for this shoe is all ages. The shoe has many cartoon animals. This shoe will be a big competitor to LeBron shoe.
Tommy SKlopan
i think the challenges for Lebron shoes is that people will buy it but is it a good product or not that is the challenge and also how is he going to do with those shoes in the coming session with the Heats. Also the price of the shoes people might buy it for one month or two month because the price is a little too high. But as a business when people stop buying the shoes the price starts to drop and that’s what the people wont a little price for a nice shoe.
ReplyDeleteThe shoes that just come out is the c.ronaldos shoes they are soccer cleat and they are really good he is fast so it’s made for fast people. And it has a power full shot with the free kicks. Its new and to get this shoes you have to pre order its 200 euro. There is also another shoes that are nice but this one is the nice one form out of the 20 shoes.
dagmawe teklu
I feel that the hardest challenge to overcome for these shoes is that they are so heavy. While many people may buy these shoes simply for the look or the fact that they are affiliated with their "king". But with the price being set at a steep 160 dollars that may extremely affect the crow who is searching to purchase these shoes for street wear. This leaves one target market which are the people who would purchase the shoe simply for the hopeful effect it would have on their game play, but with a weighted shoe it may cause some to look down upon it. Therefore the biggest factor he sale of this shoe is the weight and slightly the price.
ReplyDeleteOne shoe that has caught my eye recently is not necessarily a shoe, but more a type of shoe. I have recently found on the internet painted Nike Dunks, while this may not be my style of shoe or anywhere in my price range, I have found that these shoes are stunning and always blow me away with their extremely unique designs and professional craftsmanship. These shoes are impressive simply because they are unlike any other shoe i have ever seen before.
Andrew Frawley
The new shoes have been released at a bad time in a bad way. What i mean by that is that the economy is bad right now (or could be better), and the shoes cost alot. Some people that can afford them might buy them or maybe its cheaper in some places but i would never buy shoes that expensive. Its not as hard to lower the price as to change the weight of the shoe. To change the weight which is another problem they are going to have to recreate and reconstruct the whole shoe. That is harder to do.
ReplyDeleteI don't keep up with the new shoes and such that are released but i wear adidas shoes. I own the skate adidas. When i play sports i strictly stay to Nike cleats. I have been using Nike cleats for sports since i was 4. I like them better than any other shoe i have used for sports.
ANDREW FOSTER
I think the hardest challenge to overcome is the weight of the shoe. In order to make a shoe better, you add more material to it. Once you add more material to it, that increases the weight. The less the shoe weights, the less new material has on it. Without anything new on the shoe, it wont becoming appealing to the fans.
ReplyDeleteA shoe that has recently come out, that ive been impressed with, has to be the Nike Mercurial Vapors. This is the lightest shoe on the soccer market. Its worn by all the top stars which lets the fans know, it’s a great shoe. The thing that is most appealing to the fans, about this shoe is its weight. Another thing is how the shoe laces are covered well so your shot isn’t effected by it.
I feel like there are many obstacles that this shoe needs to overcome. From price of the shoe to weight of the shoe, these things need to be fixed in order to increase sales. The biggest challenge i see is the weight of the shoe. I feel like this is the biggest problem because the shoe was designed for a certain reason and changing the weight of the shoe is hard because that includes designing a whole new shoe.
ReplyDeletePersonally i am not a real big shoe person. But a shoe that i have recently got that was a big hit were New Balance 993's. They were a little pricey but overall a good quality shoe that matched with everything and was very comfortable. I feel like sales were good because i had to go to 3 different stores because they were sold out everywhere else.Also most of my friends had them and i saw them a lot around school.
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