The Client – Nike
Leading sports apparel and accessories brand Nike, with an estimated net worth of $110.46 billion as on 7th January 2025, is the most popular sportswear brand, globally. Building a powerful brand portfolio with matchless product lines like Nike Pro, Nike Golf and Air Jordans, and celebrity brand ambassadors like Roger Federer and Michael Jordan, Nike has maintained a comfortable lead among competitors like Lululemon, Adidas and Puma for almost a decade.
Founded in 1964 as ‘Blue Ribbon Sports’ by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knights and later rebranded as ‘Nike’ after the Greek Goddess of Victory in 1972, the company currently has 1045 retail stores across 175 nations around the world, employing 79,000+ people worldwide.
The Requirement
Following the official release of the Nike FuelBand on 19th January 2012, a digital wrist-worn fitness activity tracker, Nike wanted to incentivize the use of the device innovatively. The first of its kind to integrate technology with fitness as a part of its ‘Quantified Self Movement’, FuelBand allowed users to set, personalize and track fitness goals, connect with Nike online community, and gamify achievements with fitness points collected through the day.
Nike wanted to inspire dedicated efforts towards improving the physical and mental wellbeing of users with tangible rewards to motivate the continuation of individual fitness journey. Furthermore, Nike sought to create an inimitable brand portfolio with the Quantified Self Movement surrounding FuelBands.
The Solution – Gamified Vending With Fuel Box
In the summer of 2014, Nike and Huge launched the Nike Fuel Box in New York, a smart vending machine that dispensed premium Nike gear like socks, hats, wristbands, T-shirts etc. in exchange for points earned through the use of FuelBand, per day.
More like bartering than conventional transactions, users needed a minimum of 500 FuelBand points to redeem products in the Fuel Box. With a simple user-friendly interface, the vending machine blended digital and physical experiences seamlessly.
To add to the exclusivity and encourage ‘moving more to get more’, the smart vending devices were placed at mystery locations, hints of which were tweeted by the brand at frequent intervals for the brand enthusiasts.
The Outcome – The Phygital Fortress
The Nike+ FuelBox vending machine initiative proved successful in demonstrating the power of innovative and versatile vending machine technology to drive consumer engagement, foster healthy lifestyles, and enhance brand perception.
The initiative further demonstrated:
- Quintessence of Phygital Experience by blending the physical and digital worlds, creating engaging user experience.
- Enhancement of Brand Image by positioning Nike as a forward-thinking brand that connects technology with healthy lifestyles.
- Increased Customer Engagement with Instant Gratification by rewarding customers instantly for daily fitness achievements
- Widespread Fitness Commitment with Minimal Overheads with a broader audience motivated to participate in a collective health movement without requiring significant brand investments.
Nike Could; So Can You
With Ogmento’s Smart Vending Machines, you can create a unique brand portfolio to achieve high customer engagement in premium locations without bulking up your overheads.
Serving beauty, wellness, fitness and tech industries, our tech integrated vending machines can help you –
- Stock products of various sizes and dimensions
- Track, monitor and troubleshoot remotely
- Access and record daily activity in real-time
- Engage a larger customer base with 24/7 availability / cashless payments/loyalty program integrations, and more
Reimagine vending, reimagine your brand, with Ogmento’s smart and connected vending ecosystem.
For more details, connect with us at hello@ogmento.io or,
speak with our experts at +91 78383 38309 , +91 98990 18464
