Yes, Adidas sells on Amazon in the United States, and only in the United States. Although the global sportswear retailer operates a store at Amazon, Adidas doesn’t really consider the online commerce company it its most important outlet for selling online. This consideration is backed by analysts’ estimates where Amazon only has about half of all online sales.
In an interview with Business Insider, Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted said he is worried about the potential for price erosion and losing the direct connection to the customer over Amazon’s private-label growth.
“Our e-commerce strategy is all about us connecting directly to the consumer,” Rorsted said. “That’s the most important part.”
Adidas.com is the most important online store for the brand itself, but as Amazon continues to grow and dip its toes into different markets, it’s obvious why Adidas is also widening its doors. In fact, the sports brand and the commerce company already have a “good partnership” and Amazon is even looking to expand even more.
But with Amazon’s desire to expand, Rorsted can’t help but have a few worries.
“We positioned the brand [in the] right way [so] that it doesn’t become a value-driven purchasing experience,” Rorsted said. “Of course, that is a challenge to our relationship with Amazon because Amazon is driven by two parameters, which are efficiency and price.”
Because Amazon is not a traditional sports retailer, the company is focused on providing the sports product for the lowest cost possible, which could potentially damage Adidas’ ability to sell at full price.
By: Maytinee Kramer
