Nike pulls out as direct seller on Amazon

Sportswear brand Nike has decided to stop directly selling its sneakers and apparel on Amazon. Nike had joined the e-commerce giant directly as a wholesaler in 2017 as part of a pilot programme.

The decision to leave Amazon comes after the brand took another look at their retail strategy after hiring ex-Ebay Inc executive John Donahue as CEO. Nike will continue to pursue an aggressive online sales strategy without Amazon in the mix.

For long counterfeit products have been a major headache for big brands as unauthorised sellers have been allowed to sell look-alikes at undercut prices, thus devaluing the big brands in the process.

Whether other major brands will follow Nike and distance themselves from e-commerce platforms remains to be seen. Already, competitor sports brands such as Reebok, Adidas, Puma are retailing their products through their own online retail platforms.