Sports apparel giant adidas has launched Avenue A, a quarterly women-only subscription service that offers a curated box containing premium running and training products.
Adidas says it’s working closely with fashion trendsetters and trainers to come up with gear that caters to an active lifestyle without compromising style. The first shipment of Avenue A is curated by fitness artist Nicole Winhoffer and will include PureBOOST X, a new running shoe designed for women that features what Adidas says is a first of its kind floating arch that provides unrivaled support.
On her involvement with Avenue A, Winhoffer said, “The brand is paying attention to a woman’s need to be stylish, confident and one of a kind. They’re doing it in a really cool new way.”
The Avenue A campaign originated from a call Adidas President Mark King made to employees to come up with ideas to improve the brand’s running business. Employees submitted 442 ideas, these were narrowed down to 11 finalists, and a team of senior managers selected the winner:Avenue A.
Avenue A will ship quarterly, so subscribers will receive four boxes per year at $150 per box. While the contents of each shipment is a surprise, the box will be filled with three to five premium items – a mix of footwear, apparel and accessories appropriate for the season.
Subscription services have been a growing trend in the fashion and lifestyle industry over the last several years, with notable companies like Birchbox (cosmetics) and Le Tote (apparel) reeling in hundreds of thousands of consumers looking for an alternative to traditional brick and mortar shopping. Indeed, Birchbox gross sales alone are estimated to have surpassed more than $100 million in the last year, showing just how lucrative the market has become. With few traditional sports and activewear manufactures going the subscription box model, adidas is well positioned to take a big piece of the untapped market with Avenue A.
Jason Belzer, Esq. is Founder of GAME, Inc. and a Professor of Organizational Behavior and Sports Law at Rutgers University. Follow him on Twitter @JasonBelzer.
via: Forbes
