Nike By You

Nike By You, formerly known as NikeiD and NikeID, is a Nike service that allows customers to personalize selected footwear and apparel. Rather than offering a single finished product, the service places the consumer in the role of designer. Depending on the model and market, customers can select colors, materials, panels, stitching, laces, outsoles, lining, accents and other components, and may add approved personal details such as text or initials. The finished design can then be ordered through Nike's digital commerce channels or, where available, developed with assistance in a physical Nike By You Studio. The concept began in 1999 as a web-based customization experiment. The initial service focused on a limited number of sneakers, including the Air Force 1, and offered a defined set of interchangeable design areas and color or material options. Its early online implementation was designed not only to display alternatives but also to capture personalization requests, moderate text submissions and pass orders into Nike's production and fulfillment systems. This made the service an early example of mass customization applied to athletic footwear. NikeID later expanded beyond a small browser experience. The service introduced a broader range of models and sports categories, including running, basketball, football, baseball, rugby, athletics, skateboarding and lifestyle footwear. Nike franchises associated with the platform have included Air Max, Air Force 1, Nike Free, LunarGlide and Dunk, while selected signature basketball styles have also appeared among customizable products. Availability has changed over time as Nike has refreshed its footwear assortment and adjusted the service to local markets. Digital tools became a central part of the experience. Customers could save designs in an online account, view community-created concepts and, during earlier phases, use an iPhone and iPod Touch application to browse designs, locate studios and arrange appointments. The mobile application was later discontinued and replaced by mobile customization functionality designed for contemporary iOS and Android devices. A related Nike PHOTOiD concept used a photograph's dominant colors as inspiration for a proposed shoe design, allowing users to save, share or potentially purchase the resulting concept. Nike also developed physical Nike By You Studios in several countries. These locations were intended to provide a more consultative experience, with trained staff helping customers choose models, materials and colors. Studio availability and the number of locations have varied by period and market; the service has generally focused on footwear in studios, while online channels have supported a wider selection of customizable apparel and accessories where offered. The brand has also been used as a marketing and community platform. Campaigns have invited consumers to design shoes through outdoor advertising, mobile interaction and competitions. Nike has additionally showcased designs created with public figures and creative participants. The overall positioning is premium, individualistic and digitally enabled: Nike By You preserves the scale and technology of Nike's global product system while giving customers a controlled degree of authorship. It is therefore better understood as a Nike customization service and sub-brand than as an independent footwear company.

Nike By You originated in 1999 as Nike's attempt to bring consumer personalization into an online footwear-ordering process. The initial implementation was a JavaScript-based website offering a small number of sneaker models, with the Air Force 1 among the early customizable products. Users could select from predefined colors and materials for multiple shoe components and could add limited personal text. The system also supported automated handling of personalization requests, including moderation and transfer of order information into Nike's supply chain. The service subsequently developed from a narrow online experiment into a broader customization ecosystem. Its product assortment expanded across performance and lifestyle categories, including running, basketball, football, baseball, rugby, athletics, skateboarding and sportswear. Nike's major footwear families appeared at different times, although the exact selection changed as products were introduced or withdrawn. The platform's underlying proposition remained consistent: customers could start with a Nike model and alter its appearance within the options approved for that model. A significant digital redesign took place in 2005, when Nike sought a more polished e-commerce experience. The redesigned site replaced the earlier HTML presentation with a richer interface and gave users ways to save, revisit and share designs. The myLocker account feature helped turn individual creations into persistent digital objects that could be shown to other users and designers. Nike also experimented with community participation by displaying consumer-created designs and offering preconfigured designs for customers who preferred not to build a shoe from the beginning. Nike expanded the concept into physical retail through Nike By You Studios. These studios offered trained personnel, a wider range of design choices in some locations and a more guided experience than the online service. Studios appeared in markets including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, mainland Europe and China, with related references also identifying locations in Italy, Germany, Japan, Spain and Australia. The physical format has generally concentrated on footwear, while online channels have been used for a broader assortment when available. The service also became part of Nike's mobile and experiential marketing strategy. An iPhone and iPod Touch application released in 2012 allowed users to browse designs, save work, identify nearby studios and seek appointments. That application was later discontinued as Nike shifted toward mobile web and mobile-builder functionality for newer devices. Nike PHOTOiD provided another experimental interface by using the dominant colors in a user-submitted photograph to generate a corresponding shoe concept. Marketing activity included interactive outdoor advertising, celebrity and creative-participant designs, and the Nike Air Troupe Design Battle. These initiatives presented customization as both a retail function and a form of cultural participation. Over time, the name NikeiD or NikeID was replaced by Nike By You, reflecting a broader framing around customer authorship. The service remains a Nike-owned customization proposition rather than a separately incorporated business, and its exact product, studio and market availability can change with Nike's commercial assortment.

• 2012

  Nike By You mobile app released

  [1]NikeIDen.wikipedia.org

  Nike released a mobile application supporting design browsing, saved designs and Nike By You Studio discovery.

• 2009

  Nike Air Troupe Design Battle ends

  [1]NikeIDen.wikipedia.org

  A consumer design competition connected customization with public voting, prizes and the promotion of Nike's Air Troupe model.

• 2005

  Digital experience redesigned

  [1]NikeIDen.wikipedia.org

  Nike commissioned a substantial redesign to make the service more polished, visual and commercially integrated.

• 1999

  Nike launches the customization service

  [1]NikeIDen.wikipedia.org

  Nike introduced a web-based service that let customers personalize selected sneakers, initially through a limited menu of colors, materials and text options.

• 1999

  Air Force 1 becomes an early customizable model

  [1]NikeIDen.wikipedia.org

  The early service supported customization of the Air Force 1 across numerous shoe components, establishing the model as an important demonstration of the concept.

• NikeID is rebranded as Nike By You

  [1]NikeIDen.wikipedia.org

  Nike changed the service name from NikeiD or NikeID to Nike By You; the precise rebranding year is not established in the supplied sources.

Premium, personalized and digitally enabled athletic footwear and sportswear customization.

• Customized footwear · 1999

  Nike By You footwear

  The core offering allows customers to select a Nike shoe and adjust eligible components such as base color, overlays, accents, lining, stitching, laces, outsole and other model-specific details. The available choices differ by model and market. Product families associated with the service have included Air Force 1, Air Max, Nike Free, LunarGlide and Dunk, as well as selected performance and signature styles.

• Customized apparel

  Nike By You sportswear

  Nike expanded personalization beyond shoes to selected sportswear and clothing. Apparel customization has primarily been associated with the online service, while physical studios have generally emphasized footwear. The exact products and options are subject to Nike's current assortment and regional availability.

• Design-generation tool

  Nike PHOTOiD

  Nike PHOTOiD was an associated experimental tool that analyzed the dominant colors in a user-submitted photograph and generated a shoe concept based on those colors. Users could receive an image of the proposed design, save or share it, and in some cases proceed toward purchase.

• 2009Nike Air Troupe Design Battle

  United States

  Consumers customized the Nike Air Troupe, submitted their concepts and competed through rounds of voting. The activity promoted both the shoe and the Nike customization platform.

  Outcome. The competition ended on April 16, 2009, with selected designs receiving prizes.

  Source
• Times Square interactive billboard campaign

  United States

  A billboard campaign connected with the service's website relaunch used a Times Square Reuters sign to invite passersby to customize footwear through their phones. Participants received a digital image of the design and an opportunity to purchase it.

  Outcome. Used interactive outdoor media to demonstrate mobile customization and connect public attention with Nike's online service.

  Source
• Celebrity bespoke designs

  United States

  Nike invited figures including Amani Toomer and DJ Clark Kent to create personal shoe designs at a Nike By You workshop in New York.

  Outcome. Showcased customization through recognizable creative participants.

  Source

• 2012

  Extend Nike By You to mobile devicesProduct launch

  Background

  Consumers increasingly accessed retail and product discovery through smartphones.

  Action taken

  Nike released an iPhone and iPod Touch application with design browsing, saved designs, studio discovery and appointment-related functions.

  Aftermath

  The application was later discontinued and replaced by mobile-builder functionality intended for modern mobile operating systems.

  Source

• 2005

  Rebuild the online customization experienceGeneration change

  Background

  The original web implementation needed a more polished and user-friendly presentation as online commerce and visual product configuration developed.

  Action taken

  Nike replaced the earlier site with a richer redesigned experience and expanded tools for displaying and saving designs.

  Aftermath

  The service became more closely associated with premium digital commerce and community sharing.

  Source

• 1999

  Introduce online mass customizationProduct launch

  Background

  Nike sought to let consumers participate in footwear design while retaining a controlled set of manufacturable options.

  Action taken

  The company launched a web service with selectable shoe components, colorways, materials and limited personalization.

  Aftermath

  The service became the foundation for a broader Nike customization platform covering additional models, categories and physical studios.

  Source

• Rebrand NikeID as Nike By YouStrategy

  Background

  Nike broadened the service from a named digital customization tool into a wider consumer-authorship proposition.

  Action taken

  The NikeiD or NikeID name was replaced with Nike By You.

  Aftermath

  The service continued under Nike By You, with availability and product scope varying by market and product cycle.

  Source

• 2012

  Nike By You mobile application released[1]NikeIDen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Nike released an iPhone and iPod Touch application that supported product discovery, saved designs, studio location searches and access to the customization service.

• 2012

  Nike By You iPhone and iPod touch application released[1]NikeIDen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Nike released a mobile application that allowed users to browse community designs, save creations, shop, and locate or book appointments at Nike By You Studios.

• 2009

  Nike Air Troupe Design Battle concludes[1]NikeIDen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign

  A design competition associated with the Nike Air Troupe invited participants to customize the shoe and submit designs for public voting and prizes.

• 2005

  NikeID website receives a major redesign[1]NikeIDen.wikipedia.org

  Product generation

  Nike commissioned a redesigned digital experience intended to make online customization feel more like a premium e-commerce service and to improve presentation and usability.

• 2005

  NikeiD receives a redesigned e-commerce experience[1]NikeIDen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Nike commissioned a redesign intended to make the customization website feel more premium and easier to use, replacing the earlier HTML implementation with a richer interactive interface.

• 1999

  Nike launches an online footwear customization service[1]NikeIDen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Nike introduced the service as a web-based system that allowed customers to modify selected sneaker designs through a controlled range of colors, materials and personal details.

• 1999

  Nike launches its online customization service[1]NikeIDen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Nike introduced the service that became NikeiD and later Nike by You as a website-based way to personalize selected sneakers through configurable colors, materials, and product details.

• Nike By You mobile builder replaces the earlier app experience[1]NikeIDen.wikipedia.org

  Product generation

  The original mobile application was discontinued and replaced by a mobile customization builder designed to support current iOS and Android devices.

1. 1NikeIDen.wikipedia.org