Nike 2017

[mmhayden13]

There is apparently no better way to move inventory then to drop the price......

 

Because honestly I have seen a ton of NON Nike guys on here buying the stuff no questions asked or even testing it out.

Buy now since the price is so crazy low and sell later if don't like it. The clubs are sold out some places, I was at Golf Galaxy in Tulsa and didn't see one NIKE club that went on sale. Hell I went to the driving range at the club yesterday and seen 2 older men with new Nike drivers! I seen the rest of the clubs in their bags were Titleist except that bright blue driver.

 

Luckily I ordered online and got a new driver and 3w.

[BlackM00Nlight]

Yeah, it's clearly working well for Nike. Sell at a minimal gain cost, get more Nike in the bags of golfers who haven't hit Nike before.

 

Golf courses have never looked more beautiful these days with all that photo blue out there!

[Boogs2]

Nike products are gone everywhere. Online and around here. Sure there are better ways to push inventory out, but Nike may have a motive that might work out in the long run. It got people to buy Nike clubs who may have not even considered trying them out simply due to it was a Nike club, but now with a price too good to be true, it's a deal that's hard to pass up. At this point, Nike had nothing to lose. People who hated Nike but bought one may have changed their mind on some of their products after trying it out for a good price. If not, then no harm done since they had an unfavorable view of Nike's products anyway.

[mmhayden13]

When I go back today after work I am going to be looking for the two old men I seen yesterday to ask them some questions on the Nike EQ and see what they have to say.

[swizbeatz]

SS is gonna have a ton of new material in 2017 if what I heard today about future signings is true!

[Pure745]

SS is gonna have a ton of new material in 2017 if what I heard today about future signings is true!

 

Who?! Beef? :tongue:

[cota0429]

SS is gonna have a ton of new material in 2017 if what I heard today about future signings is true!

 

Who?! Beef? :tongue:

 

Beef lol. Can you imagine him in a slim MM polo? Lol

[Pure745]

I've been scratching my head about the drastic price drops down to $150 and $99, wondering if it's a good or a bad thing. If this was TM everyone would be posting like the world was going to end, but for Nike, I think this might have been a genius move. The way I have seen it there have been three reactions: 1) guys that think Nike is exiting the club business or is admitting their equipment sucks. 2) Nike loyalists/guys that work directly or indirectly for Nike who are waiting for the next line to come out and are excited it's finally selling so fast. 3) Guys that are on the fence on Nike equipment, are weighing between a few OEM's, or don't even need a driver at all but at the price point it's worth trying.

 

I think the genius part is the 3rd option/reaction. At $150, everyone is reporting that Nike is flying off the shelves. I recently got a Flex 440 and it's an incredible driver, the rest of the line is solid too, I just don't like the bright blue that much, but the performance is there. For $150 for a driver and $99 for a fairway, guys are going to be buying these because they have nothing to lose at that price AND they're getting a solid product. The equipment industry as a whole (from my consumer perspective) seems pretty stale overall right now and I think with the Olympics coming up and Nike as a brand always gains a ton of momentum during the Olympics, I think this is a great time to get their product into the hands of a demographic of golfer who normally wouldn't be using or buying a Nike product. I also think they dropped the price so low that it forced the hand of the consumer, say they only dropped it to $250, people would still be passing at that price. $150 was briliant, IMO.

 

Long term, I think the $150/$99 deal is going to clear out inventory, they won't lose money on it, and there will be a good number of consumers who stick with Nike after this and will be even more interested in the "latest and greatest" from Nike when the new line comes out. After thinking about this more, I think it was a great move for Nike specifically, I'm not sure other OEM's with their positions in the marketplace could pull this off but Nike has nothing to lose from this move and I believe will end up gaining customers from it.

[mmhayden13]

I've been scratching my head about the drastic price drops down to $150 and $99, wondering if it's a good or a bad thing. If this was TM everyone would be posting like the world was going to end, but for Nike, I think this might have been a genius move. The way I have seen it there have been three reactions: 1) guys that think Nike is exiting the club business or is admitting their equipment sucks. 2) Nike loyalists/guys that work directly or indirectly for Nike who are waiting for the next line to come out and are excited it's finally selling so fast. 3) Guys that are on the fence on Nike equipment, are weighing between a few OEM's, or don't even need a driver at all but at the price point it's worth trying.

 

I think the genius part is the 3rd option/reaction. At $150, everyone is reporting that Nike is flying off the shelves. I recently got a Flex 440 and it's an incredible driver, the rest of the line is solid too, I just don't like the bright blue that much, but the performance is there. For $150 for a driver and $99 for a fairway, guys are going to be buying these because they have nothing to lose at that price AND they're getting a solid product. The equipment industry as a whole (from my consumer perspective) seems pretty stale overall right now and I think with the Olympics coming up and Nike as a brand always gains a ton of momentum during the Olympics, I think this is a great time to get their product into the hands of a demographic of golfer who normally wouldn't be using or buying a Nike product. I also think they dropped the price so low that it forced the hand of the consumer, say they only dropped it to $250, people would still be passing at that price. $150 was briliant, IMO.

 

Long term, I think the $150/$99 deal is going to clear out inventory, they won't lose money on it, and there will be a good number of consumers who stick with Nike after this and will be even more interested in the "latest and greatest" from Nike when the new line comes out. After thinking about this more, I think it was a great move for Nike specifically, I'm not sure other OEM's with their positions in the marketplace could pull this off but Nike has nothing to lose from this move and I believe will end up gaining customers from it.

 

EXACTLY what I think. And like I said.... At the club I have seen maybe 2 other guys around my age playing newer NIKE stuff. I seen some older guys with older stuff Covert and SQ stuff occasionally.

 

But I was very surprised to see a couple guys with new VF drivers on the range. Then stepped on tee box and off they went playing the drivers and from what I could see these guys probably in their 50-60's were hitting them very well and seemed to like them.

[BostonWRX]

I've been scratching my head about the drastic price drops down to $150 and $99, wondering if it's a good or a bad thing. If this was TM everyone would be posting like the world was going to end, but for Nike, I think this might have been a genius move. The way I have seen it there have been three reactions: 1) guys that think Nike is exiting the club business or is admitting their equipment sucks. 2) Nike loyalists/guys that work directly or indirectly for Nike who are waiting for the next line to come out and are excited it's finally selling so fast. 3) Guys that are on the fence on Nike equipment, are weighing between a few OEM's, or don't even need a driver at all but at the price point it's worth trying.

 

I think the genius part is the 3rd option/reaction. At $150, everyone is reporting that Nike is flying off the shelves. I recently got a Flex 440 and it's an incredible driver, the rest of the line is solid too, I just don't like the bright blue that much, but the performance is there. For $150 for a driver and $99 for a fairway, guys are going to be buying these because they have nothing to lose at that price AND they're getting a solid product. The equipment industry as a whole (from my consumer perspective) seems pretty stale overall right now and I think with the Olympics coming up and Nike as a brand always gains a ton of momentum during the Olympics, I think this is a great time to get their product into the hands of a demographic of golfer who normally wouldn't be using or buying a Nike product. I also think they dropped the price so low that it forced the hand of the consumer, say they only dropped it to $250, people would still be passing at that price. $150 was briliant, IMO.

 

Long term, I think the $150/$99 deal is going to clear out inventory, they won't lose money on it, and there will be a good number of consumers who stick with Nike after this and will be even more interested in the "latest and greatest" from Nike when the new line comes out. After thinking about this more, I think it was a great move for Nike specifically, I'm not sure other OEM's with their positions in the marketplace could pull this off but Nike has nothing to lose from this move and I believe will end up gaining customers from it.

 

EXACTLY what I think. And like I said.... At the club I have seen maybe 2 other guys around my age playing newer NIKE stuff. I seen some older guys with older stuff Covert and SQ stuff occasionally.

 

But I was very surprised to see a couple guys with new VF drivers on the range. Then stepped on tee box and off they went playing the drivers and from what I could see these guys probably in their 50-60's were hitting them very well and seemed to like them.

Only negative in my opinion would be the loyal Nike guys who bought the equipment originally will now get smoked on Resale value. I have no Nike clubs, im holding out for the PC but I purchased the Pro since so cheap to try out

[BlackM00Nlight]

I've been scratching my head about the drastic price drops down to $150 and $99, wondering if it's a good or a bad thing. If this was TM everyone would be posting like the world was going to end, but for Nike, I think this might have been a genius move. The way I have seen it there have been three reactions: 1) guys that think Nike is exiting the club business or is admitting their equipment sucks. 2) Nike loyalists/guys that work directly or indirectly for Nike who are waiting for the next line to come out and are excited it's finally selling so fast. 3) Guys that are on the fence on Nike equipment, are weighing between a few OEM's, or don't even need a driver at all but at the price point it's worth trying.

 

I think the genius part is the 3rd option/reaction. At $150, everyone is reporting that Nike is flying off the shelves. I recently got a Flex 440 and it's an incredible driver, the rest of the line is solid too, I just don't like the bright blue that much, but the performance is there. For $150 for a driver and $99 for a fairway, guys are going to be buying these because they have nothing to lose at that price AND they're getting a solid product. The equipment industry as a whole (from my consumer perspective) seems pretty stale overall right now and I think with the Olympics coming up and Nike as a brand always gains a ton of momentum during the Olympics, I think this is a great time to get their product into the hands of a demographic of golfer who normally wouldn't be using or buying a Nike product. I also think they dropped the price so low that it forced the hand of the consumer, say they only dropped it to $250, people would still be passing at that price. $150 was briliant, IMO.

 

Long term, I think the $150/$99 deal is going to clear out inventory, they won't lose money on it, and there will be a good number of consumers who stick with Nike after this and will be even more interested in the "latest and greatest" from Nike when the new line comes out. After thinking about this more, I think it was a great move for Nike specifically, I'm not sure other OEM's with their positions in the marketplace could pull this off but Nike has nothing to lose from this move and I believe will end up gaining customers from it.

 

EXACTLY what I think. And like I said.... At the club I have seen maybe 2 other guys around my age playing newer NIKE stuff. I seen some older guys with older stuff Covert and SQ stuff occasionally.

 

But I was very surprised to see a couple guys with new VF drivers on the range. Then stepped on tee box and off they went playing the drivers and from what I could see these guys probably in their 50-60's were hitting them very well and seemed to like them.

Only negative in my opinion would be the loyal Nike guys who bought the equipment originally will now get smoked on Resale value. I have no Nike clubs, im holding out for the PC but I purchased the Pro since so cheap to try out

 

It's freaking brilliant!! Absolutely worked to perfection.

[lopey986]

I've been scratching my head about the drastic price drops down to $150 and $99, wondering if it's a good or a bad thing. If this was TM everyone would be posting like the world was going to end, but for Nike, I think this might have been a genius move. The way I have seen it there have been three reactions: 1) guys that think Nike is exiting the club business or is admitting their equipment sucks. 2) Nike loyalists/guys that work directly or indirectly for Nike who are waiting for the next line to come out and are excited it's finally selling so fast. 3) Guys that are on the fence on Nike equipment, are weighing between a few OEM's, or don't even need a driver at all but at the price point it's worth trying.

 

I think the genius part is the 3rd option/reaction. At $150, everyone is reporting that Nike is flying off the shelves. I recently got a Flex 440 and it's an incredible driver, the rest of the line is solid too, I just don't like the bright blue that much, but the performance is there. For $150 for a driver and $99 for a fairway, guys are going to be buying these because they have nothing to lose at that price AND they're getting a solid product. The equipment industry as a whole (from my consumer perspective) seems pretty stale overall right now and I think with the Olympics coming up and Nike as a brand always gains a ton of momentum during the Olympics, I think this is a great time to get their product into the hands of a demographic of golfer who normally wouldn't be using or buying a Nike product. I also think they dropped the price so low that it forced the hand of the consumer, say they only dropped it to $250, people would still be passing at that price. $150 was briliant, IMO.

 

Long term, I think the $150/$99 deal is going to clear out inventory, they won't lose money on it, and there will be a good number of consumers who stick with Nike after this and will be even more interested in the "latest and greatest" from Nike when the new line comes out. After thinking about this more, I think it was a great move for Nike specifically, I'm not sure other OEM's with their positions in the marketplace could pull this off but Nike has nothing to lose from this move and I believe will end up gaining customers from it.

 

EXACTLY what I think. And like I said.... At the club I have seen maybe 2 other guys around my age playing newer NIKE stuff. I seen some older guys with older stuff Covert and SQ stuff occasionally.

 

But I was very surprised to see a couple guys with new VF drivers on the range. Then stepped on tee box and off they went playing the drivers and from what I could see these guys probably in their 50-60's were hitting them very well and seemed to like them.

Only negative in my opinion would be the loyal Nike guys who bought the equipment originally will now get smoked on Resale value. I have no Nike clubs, im holding out for the PC but I purchased the Pro since so cheap to try out

 

Buying golf clubs and expecting solid resale value is going to be a losing game pretty much every single time. It's like a car, once you drive it off the lot the value plummets.

[cota0429]

Think of how many bags of junior golfers these clubs are going to make it to. Kind of like UA shoes. Parents are buying them for their kids because Nikes are 200+. My kid won't be wearing no Currys but I can see why all the kids have them. Lower price point. It seems like Nike as a brand is experimenting by dropping their price point even on basketball shoes. I think it's a genius move as well. Grabbing huge market share and hopefully someone will do a report on how much was actually sold.

[c. howard]

I've been scratching my head about the drastic price drops down to $150 and $99, wondering if it's a good or a bad thing. If this was TM everyone would be posting like the world was going to end, but for Nike, I think this might have been a genius move. The way I have seen it there have been three reactions: 1) guys that think Nike is exiting the club business or is admitting their equipment sucks. 2) Nike loyalists/guys that work directly or indirectly for Nike who are waiting for the next line to come out and are excited it's finally selling so fast. 3) Guys that are on the fence on Nike equipment, are weighing between a few OEM's, or don't even need a driver at all but at the price point it's worth trying.

 

I think the genius part is the 3rd option/reaction. At $150, everyone is reporting that Nike is flying off the shelves. I recently got a Flex 440 and it's an incredible driver, the rest of the line is solid too, I just don't like the bright blue that much, but the performance is there. For $150 for a driver and $99 for a fairway, guys are going to be buying these because they have nothing to lose at that price AND they're getting a solid product. The equipment industry as a whole (from my consumer perspective) seems pretty stale overall right now and I think with the Olympics coming up and Nike as a brand always gains a ton of momentum during the Olympics, I think this is a great time to get their product into the hands of a demographic of golfer who normally wouldn't be using or buying a Nike product. I also think they dropped the price so low that it forced the hand of the consumer, say they only dropped it to $250, people would still be passing at that price. $150 was briliant, IMO.

 

Long term, I think the $150/$99 deal is going to clear out inventory, they won't lose money on it, and there will be a good number of consumers who stick with Nike after this and will be even more interested in the "latest and greatest" from Nike when the new line comes out. After thinking about this more, I think it was a great move for Nike specifically, I'm not sure other OEM's with their positions in the marketplace could pull this off but Nike has nothing to lose from this move and I believe will end up gaining customers from it.

 

Hey Pure, I feel weird disagreeing with a legend.. But this is a really weird one. I agree with the idea of Nike trying to get golfers from other OEMs to try their gear, but this isn't the way to do it. I somewhat work in pricing, if I ever saw a price drop increase sales this quickly, I would know I set the price incorrectly. For a serious golfer the $150/$99 is nothing (WRX is proof of that), but only trying 1 club at a low price point won't create the affinity you are hinting at.

 

In my world, the casual golfers I know, only look to spend $50 at most on a club. This price point was still too high for them, even though they average 2 rounds a month. I'm having trouble with this idea of 'the dying golf equipment industry', in another thread I would be encouraging a company like Miura or PXG to go super high price (more so than now) to really position themselves as the low quantity high quality producer. If Nike wants to hit the masses, perhaps a secondary product line that is uber game improvement with a low barrier to entry. The VF line seemed like the player's line that should have stayed higher price.

 

Sorry some rambling (at work so half my attention), but here's what I would have suggested.. Why not do a bundle campaign, buy a driver and fairway/hybrid for the $250 combined. Or get the driver with 1 dozen golf balls for $190. Price is still lower when bundled, but you can maintain the individual club price for integrity.

 

I don't work in the golf industry, so I may be way off base, but in my research I've always found a straight price drop to be the worst possible move (even though it clearly is a tactic in this industry..).

[mallrat]

Plus when you have a bad quarter and have a TON of inventory on your shelves it looks real good to Wall St when you can report the inventory is gone.

[c. howard]

When I go back today after work I am going to be looking for the two old men I seen yesterday to ask them some questions on the Nike EQ and see what they have to say.

 

Would love to hear what you find out if you talk to them.. Honestly I've never seen an older golfer with Nike gear. I want to see Nike really position as 'the athlete's gear' with the skinny aggressive clubs that are not for the casual golfer..

[Pure745]

I've been scratching my head about the drastic price drops down to $150 and $99, wondering if it's a good or a bad thing. If this was TM everyone would be posting like the world was going to end, but for Nike, I think this might have been a genius move. The way I have seen it there have been three reactions: 1) guys that think Nike is exiting the club business or is admitting their equipment sucks. 2) Nike loyalists/guys that work directly or indirectly for Nike who are waiting for the next line to come out and are excited it's finally selling so fast. 3) Guys that are on the fence on Nike equipment, are weighing between a few OEM's, or don't even need a driver at all but at the price point it's worth trying.

 

I think the genius part is the 3rd option/reaction. At $150, everyone is reporting that Nike is flying off the shelves. I recently got a Flex 440 and it's an incredible driver, the rest of the line is solid too, I just don't like the bright blue that much, but the performance is there. For $150 for a driver and $99 for a fairway, guys are going to be buying these because they have nothing to lose at that price AND they're getting a solid product. The equipment industry as a whole (from my consumer perspective) seems pretty stale overall right now and I think with the Olympics coming up and Nike as a brand always gains a ton of momentum during the Olympics, I think this is a great time to get their product into the hands of a demographic of golfer who normally wouldn't be using or buying a Nike product. I also think they dropped the price so low that it forced the hand of the consumer, say they only dropped it to $250, people would still be passing at that price. $150 was briliant, IMO.

 

Long term, I think the $150/$99 deal is going to clear out inventory, they won't lose money on it, and there will be a good number of consumers who stick with Nike after this and will be even more interested in the "latest and greatest" from Nike when the new line comes out. After thinking about this more, I think it was a great move for Nike specifically, I'm not sure other OEM's with their positions in the marketplace could pull this off but Nike has nothing to lose from this move and I believe will end up gaining customers from it.

 

Hey Pure, I feel weird disagreeing with a legend.. But this is a really weird one. I agree with the idea of Nike trying to get golfers from other OEMs to try their gear, but this isn't the way to do it. I somewhat work in pricing, if I ever saw a price drop increase sales this quickly, I would know I set the price incorrectly. For a serious golfer the $150/$99 is nothing (WRX is proof of that), but only trying 1 club at a low price point won't create the affinity you are hinting at.

 

In my world, the casual golfers I know, only look to spend $50 at most on a club. This price point was still too high for them, even though they average 2 rounds a month. I'm having trouble with this idea of 'the dying golf equipment industry', in another thread I would be encouraging a company like Miura or PXG to go super high price (more so than now) to really position themselves as the low quantity high quality producer. If Nike wants to hit the masses, perhaps a secondary product line that is uber game improvement with a low barrier to entry. The VF line seemed like the player's line that should have stayed higher price.

 

Sorry some rambling (at work so half my attention), but here's what I would have suggested.. Why not do a bundle campaign, buy a driver and fairway/hybrid for the $250 combined. Or get the driver with 1 dozen golf balls for $190. Price is still lower when bundled, but you can maintain the individual club price for integrity.

 

I don't work in the golf industry, so I may be way off base, but in my research I've always found a straight price drop to be the worst possible move (even though it clearly is a tactic in this industry..).

 

I don't work in the golf industry so my opinion was purely just speculation and observation :) I'm not saying this tactic would have happened in an ideal circumstance and I don't want my post to seem as if I'm justifying anything they do. I think that the blue color scheme was a huge mistake for Nike and should have been a more neutral color with the blue being a limited released Olympic color or something like that, overall their sales probably hurt partly because not everyone wants a bright blue driver and I think it probably turned more buyers away than it attracted (again, purely speculating). My perception is that overall their sales were low, but this tactic of turning lemons into lemonade seems like a smart move in my opinion.

 

Also wondering if they are going to approach the market at a different price point in '17. Seems like everyone is raising their prices, if they went slightly the other way, I'd be interested to see the response.

[scratchswinger]

Nike clubs have always been cheap after a few months.... I don't see that changing anytime soon. This year was obviously the crown jewel of discounts for Nike clubs.... I hear what Pure is saying though in regards to Nike trying to jokey their way into players bags that would normally not even look in their direction.... I don't know if those guys buying new drivers at $150 would be willing to shell out $450 when they know it will be heavily discounted in less than one year.

[youngunz5840]

I think the price drop will work out as long as if it doesnt become a pattern. I had the std 3 wood earlier in the year because I got a 15* stiff flex and it was going too high and short. With the price drop I picked up a XS 13* and hitting great shots with it. I am also a Nike guy in general so I might be outside of the normal crowd. I am hoping the VPC replacement is as forgiving but softer and doesnt use the RZN I got weird hot balls out of mine (185yd 8 iron on a par 3 that I hit over a hill onto another hole) every once in awhile.

[c. howard]

I've been scratching my head about the drastic price drops down to $150 and $99, wondering if it's a good or a bad thing. If this was TM everyone would be posting like the world was going to end, but for Nike, I think this might have been a genius move. The way I have seen it there have been three reactions: 1) guys that think Nike is exiting the club business or is admitting their equipment sucks. 2) Nike loyalists/guys that work directly or indirectly for Nike who are waiting for the next line to come out and are excited it's finally selling so fast. 3) Guys that are on the fence on Nike equipment, are weighing between a few OEM's, or don't even need a driver at all but at the price point it's worth trying.

 

I think the genius part is the 3rd option/reaction. At $150, everyone is reporting that Nike is flying off the shelves. I recently got a Flex 440 and it's an incredible driver, the rest of the line is solid too, I just don't like the bright blue that much, but the performance is there. For $150 for a driver and $99 for a fairway, guys are going to be buying these because they have nothing to lose at that price AND they're getting a solid product. The equipment industry as a whole (from my consumer perspective) seems pretty stale overall right now and I think with the Olympics coming up and Nike as a brand always gains a ton of momentum during the Olympics, I think this is a great time to get their product into the hands of a demographic of golfer who normally wouldn't be using or buying a Nike product. I also think they dropped the price so low that it forced the hand of the consumer, say they only dropped it to $250, people would still be passing at that price. $150 was briliant, IMO.

 

Long term, I think the $150/$99 deal is going to clear out inventory, they won't lose money on it, and there will be a good number of consumers who stick with Nike after this and will be even more interested in the "latest and greatest" from Nike when the new line comes out. After thinking about this more, I think it was a great move for Nike specifically, I'm not sure other OEM's with their positions in the marketplace could pull this off but Nike has nothing to lose from this move and I believe will end up gaining customers from it.

 

Hey Pure, I feel weird disagreeing with a legend.. But this is a really weird one. I agree with the idea of Nike trying to get golfers from other OEMs to try their gear, but this isn't the way to do it. I somewhat work in pricing, if I ever saw a price drop increase sales this quickly, I would know I set the price incorrectly. For a serious golfer the $150/$99 is nothing (WRX is proof of that), but only trying 1 club at a low price point won't create the affinity you are hinting at.

 

In my world, the casual golfers I know, only look to spend $50 at most on a club. This price point was still too high for them, even though they average 2 rounds a month. I'm having trouble with this idea of 'the dying golf equipment industry', in another thread I would be encouraging a company like Miura or PXG to go super high price (more so than now) to really position themselves as the low quantity high quality producer. If Nike wants to hit the masses, perhaps a secondary product line that is uber game improvement with a low barrier to entry. The VF line seemed like the player's line that should have stayed higher price.

 

Sorry some rambling (at work so half my attention), but here's what I would have suggested.. Why not do a bundle campaign, buy a driver and fairway/hybrid for the $250 combined. Or get the driver with 1 dozen golf balls for $190. Price is still lower when bundled, but you can maintain the individual club price for integrity.

 

I don't work in the golf industry, so I may be way off base, but in my research I've always found a straight price drop to be the worst possible move (even though it clearly is a tactic in this industry..).

 

I don't work in the golf industry so my opinion was purely just speculation and observation :) I'm not saying this tactic would have happened in an ideal circumstance and I don't want my post to seem as if I'm justifying anything they do. I think that the blue color scheme was a huge mistake for Nike and should have been a more neutral color with the blue being a limited released Olympic color or something like that, overall their sales probably hurt partly because not everyone wants a bright blue driver and I think it probably turned more buyers away than it attracted (again, purely speculating). My perception is that overall their sales were low, but this tactic of turning lemons into lemonade seems like a smart move in my opinion.

 

Also wondering if they are going to approach the market at a different price point in '17. Seems like everyone is raising their prices, if they went slightly the other way, I'd be interested to see the response.

 

I think your post was spot on. I think Nike learned the hard way that using blue as a major differentiator did not help sales. And honestly, the price drop probably is a punt to get what they can before launching the new line.. Nike's best case scenario is that some early adopters give the gear a try, fall in love and then purchase when they launch anything in the future. But for most, even if they like the gear, they won't buy the new stuff and would wait until the new gear received a price drop like now.

 

What do you / others think if Nike came out as a lower priced manufacturer in 2017? Would that lessen the brand or get you concerned about their gear? For me, I've bought in to Nike not having the fat game improvement gear and being high-end tailored to athletes wanting the best control. If they lowered price, they would probably associate closer to Adams or Tour Edge.

 

(Sorry all, don't mean to derail the thread if an annoyance)

[c. howard]

Nike clubs have always been cheap after a few months.... I don't see that changing anytime soon. This year was obviously the crown jewel of discounts for Nike clubs.... I hear what Pure is saying though in regards to Nike trying to jokey their way into players bags that would normally not even look in their direction.... I don't know if those guys buying new drivers at $150 would be willing to shell out $450 when they know it will be heavily discounted in less than one year.

 

That's my concern. The guys who are buying now are not the early adopters willing to shell out anything for the latest gear. They either like Nike already, or they are price sensitive and less loyal to a manufacturer.

[scythe23]

I bought the VF pro driver and the 3 wood, got the pro since it was the last one in stock in town. I haven't had a chance to hit the range and hit either yet but I was at the store yesterday and tried the demo VF Pro and I think I like my Vapor Speed from last year better (I don't have what you would call the best control lol) it is more forgiving for my miss hits. I love the 3 wood so far (simulator only) I may be selling the VF Pro and sticking with my speed driver tho so if you looking for a VF pro and missed the sale let me know I may be getting rid of it next week depending on how I hit my Current driver this weekend. All in all I think it was a great idea for nike, shops here sold out QUICK

[youngunz5840]

The last time my brother went to GS and he plays maybe once or twice a year say the new Nike line he quickly pointed out how much he liked the looks not knowing anything about the tech. He is a basketball player like me and the lower price might entice some non golfers to play the game.

[Pure745]

I think your post was spot on. I think Nike learned the hard way that using blue as a major differentiator did not help sales. And honestly, the price drop probably is a punt to get what they can before launching the new line.. Nike's best case scenario is that some early adopters give the gear a try, fall in love and then purchase when they launch anything in the future. But for most, even if they like the gear, they won't buy the new stuff and would wait until the new gear received a price drop like now.

 

What do you / others think if Nike came out as a lower priced manufacturer in 2017? Would that lessen the brand or get you concerned about their gear? For me, I've bought in to Nike not having the fat game improvement gear and being high-end tailored to athletes wanting the best control. If they lowered price, they would probably associate closer to Adams or Tour Edge.

 

(Sorry all, don't mean to derail the thread if an annoyance)

 

I don't necessarily think that if Nike came out as a lower priced option in 2017 it would immediately put them in the Adams/Tour Edge category. I think that the gradual increase in price, in my opinion, unnecessarily by OEMs has inflated the "norm" of MSRP to a crazy range. $499 for a 915D2? That just seemed crazy to me when I saw that. It's not like Titleist is pushing the limits of technology or using expensive materials in their drivers, nor do I consider them to be premium or superior to any other driver in terms of quality. The 915 line is arguably not much different than the 910 or 913 to justify $500, to me is pushing it. If Nike made a product that performs well, incorporates new technology, and appeals to a broader market AND is $349 or something like that, I can only think it would help them sell more units without the consumer thinking the product is cheap or inferior.

 

Another thing Nike has going for them is that they are #1 in apparel and have huge tour names using their stuff. If their athletes start winning and start winning majors, I think they have a lot of momentum and platform to market to a lot of golfers of all ranges. If the rumors of DJ or Day pan out, people are going to want to play Nike just because they want to play what some of the best golfers in the world use. I still think that their equipment needs to get better and maybe a little more uniformity in their lines with the limited edition/flashy stuff mixed in to keep the Nike loyalists engaged as well. I have a few good ideas of how they could execute this, but my consulting fee is high :tongue: :drinks:

[NGstaff]

What drives me nuts is I was told sell what you got and get orders in. I sent an order for 30...yes 30 clubs for customers...no stock, and now I may not get it. I am going to have a lot of jacked customers. They had plenty of stock...order was sent Monday morning...gone.

[swanry30]

i don't have numbers to back this up - isn't the equipment market down considerably this year? a bad combination if your sales were up the last year and projections were "positive" for the following... if that is the case - fire sell this years product otherwise sit on it.

 

not a bad product - perhaps not a strong market.

[Kylekoz17]

I've been scratching my head about the drastic price drops down to $150 and $99, wondering if it's a good or a bad thing. If this was TM everyone would be posting like the world was going to end, but for Nike, I think this might have been a genius move. The way I have seen it there have been three reactions: 1) guys that think Nike is exiting the club business or is admitting their equipment sucks. 2) Nike loyalists/guys that work directly or indirectly for Nike who are waiting for the next line to come out and are excited it's finally selling so fast. 3) Guys that are on the fence on Nike equipment, are weighing between a few OEM's, or don't even need a driver at all but at the price point it's worth trying.

 

I think the genius part is the 3rd option/reaction. At $150, everyone is reporting that Nike is flying off the shelves. I recently got a Flex 440 and it's an incredible driver, the rest of the line is solid too, I just don't like the bright blue that much, but the performance is there. For $150 for a driver and $99 for a fairway, guys are going to be buying these because they have nothing to lose at that price AND they're getting a solid product. The equipment industry as a whole (from my consumer perspective) seems pretty stale overall right now and I think with the Olympics coming up and Nike as a brand always gains a ton of momentum during the Olympics, I think this is a great time to get their product into the hands of a demographic of golfer who normally wouldn't be using or buying a Nike product. I also think they dropped the price so low that it forced the hand of the consumer, say they only dropped it to $250, people would still be passing at that price. $150 was briliant, IMO.

 

Long term, I think the $150/$99 deal is going to clear out inventory, they won't lose money on it, and there will be a good number of consumers who stick with Nike after this and will be even more interested in the "latest and greatest" from Nike when the new line comes out. After thinking about this more, I think it was a great move for Nike specifically, I'm not sure other OEM's with their positions in the marketplace could pull this off but Nike has nothing to lose from this move and I believe will end up gaining customers from it.

 

Posted the same thing in another thread. It is a genius move by Nike for sure.

[bryanwmilburn]

Hey, it got me to buy a Vapor Fly Pro driver, Vapor 3 wood, and Vapor hybrid. Hit them on the monitor and loved them. Love the look and feel. Was just waiting for my competitive season to be over with, which it was this weekend. Couldn't have been better timing. My Titleist woods are off to the BST!

[jlebeane13]

From a sales standpoint its a coin toss, in this case it worked out well as the stuff flew out of everyones inventory, especially the drivers!

From a marketing standpoint its brilliant because it worked, You get people who were holding on to old equipment because they couldnt afford the new stuff now can, you get people who were holding on to other equipment who didnt want to spend the money to switch, and now could. All these people are going to show up at their local courses sporting brand new blue equipment and its going to be a coversation starter, people are going to want to hit their buddies new driver or fairway wood. Which can lead to additional sales of current amd new equipment. Equipment sales are down and have been for a few years, this allows for nike to say hey we sold out of "units" and not so much "hey look at the money we made". Nike of all companies with the exception of maybe TM/Adidas is not going to miss the money. They can take a minimal (if that) hit on the money in order to show a larger number of units sold and get more of their product on the course.

[shakey]

What drives me nuts is I was told sell what you got and get orders in. I sent an order for 30...yes 30 clubs for customers...no stock, and now I may not get it. I am going to have a lot of jacked customers. They had plenty of stock...order was sent Monday morning...gone.

Same here. Sent in a big order and was told all orders have been put on hold. Not sure if I'll see any of it or not. Only have a couple of hybrids left.