Nike to sell directly on Amazon again after six-year absence

Sportswear brand returns to ecommerce giant for first time since 2019 as it looks to bring more products to shoppers in the US.

• Nike stopped selling directly on Amazon as part of DTC strategy under previous CEO John Donahoe
• Limited selection of Nike products previously available on Amazon via third-party sellers
• Nike to also raise US prices amid tariff uncertainty

Nike will start selling products directly on Amazon again in the US, ending a six-year hiatus.

The sportswear giant ceased selling its goods on the ecommerce platform back in 2019, partly due to its strategy under then-chief executive John Donahoe to build the company’s own ecommerce business and drive direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales.

The move meant Nike reduced ties with retailers in favour of selling more product through its own stores and website.

Nike had also cited concerns around counterfeit products on Amazon’s third-party marketplace as another reason for cutting ties with the company.

However, Nike’s DTC strategy under Donahoe created more space for up-and-coming brands like On Running, Hoka and Brooks, who have been able to gain some of Nike’s market share as a result. 

Following sluggish online sales and a move away from wholesale retailers, Nike slashed its full-year guidance for 2025 and saw its first quarter revenue for the new financial year fall ten per cent year-over-year.

Elliot Hill replaced Donahoe in October 2024, with the new Nike chief executive tasked with getting retailers back onside and making more products readily available to consumers.

A Nike spokesperson told CNBC that the company is investing in its marketplace to bring more products and services to “consumers wherever and however they choose to shop”.

“This includes expanding to new digital accounts, including Amazon in the US, new physical partners like Printemps, elevating retail experiences across the marketplace, and launching Nike’s AI powered conversational search to improve our online services,” the spokesperson added.

An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC that it will “soon begin sourcing a much wider range of Nike products directly to expand our selection for US customers”.

Prior to this agreement, a limited selection of Nike products was available on Amazon via third-party sellers. However, Nike was a ‘gated’ brand on Amazon, meaning it was highly restricted to prevent counterfeit and low-quality items.

“We value independent sellers, and we’re providing an extended period of time for the small number of sellers affected to sell through their inventory of overlapping items,” Amazon’s spokesperson added.

The pact with Nike marks a win for Amazon as it looks to attract more high-end brands to its platform.

It comes in the same week that Nike confirmed it is set to raise prices on some of its products in the US.

The brand did not cite US tariffs explicitly as a reason for the increase, saying it regularly made “price adjustments”.

From the start of next month, most Nike shoes that cost more than US$100 will see prices rise by as much as US$10. Prices of clothing and equipment will also be raised by between US$2 to US$10.

Nike’s popular Air Force 1 trainers, as well as shoes that cost less than US$100, will be exempted from the price increases.

The bulk of Nike’s goods are made in Asia, which has been targeted by President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

In a call with investors in March, Nike’s chief financial officer Matthew Friend said that the company was “navigating through several external factors that create uncertainty in the current operating environment”, including tariffs.

Friend added that Nike was monitoring “the impact of this uncertainty and other macro factors on consumer confidence”.

Nike’s decision comes after rival Adidas warned last month that it would have to hike the cost of products in the US, including popular trainers such as the Gazelle and Samba, due to tariffs.

“Since we currently cannot produce almost any of our products in the US, these higher tariffs will eventually cause higher costs for all our products for the US market,” said Adidas chief executive Bjørn Gulden.

Credit: https://www.sportspro.com/news/nike-amazon-products-shoes-prices-tariffs-may-2025/