The Nike GS has taken the boot world by storm. Nike produced a boot lighter then the Vapor and better yet they made it limited. So limited, that now the Olympics are over no one is wearing the boots now except the lucky amateurs that purchased them. Ultimately, Nike created an elite series boot all over again but was smart about it. Rather than flood the market with the boots they teased the boots at the Olympics via Neymar and then released a select numbers of pairs. I have always said that when a new boot drops its dead after a month because the market is flooded with the boot/color-way.
Furthermore, as a boot nerd/collector when a boot is limited the demand for the boot drastically goes up and so does the value of the boots. For example, you can now find the GS online for $600 almost double the initial price of the boot. Unlike the old days when players had one pair of boots, Today’s crazed boot nerds have four to five pairs. Many consumers are frustrated that they could not get themselves a pair but those of the select consumers that were able to land the boots feel lucky and know for a fact that not everyone and their grandma will be sporting a pair. That’s important to the consumer!
With this release Nike can almost guarantee a sell through because it is a limited release with a preorder. On pro direct/Soccer.com they sold out within 24 hours. I am sure Nike is definitely making money off the boots but by making them limited it means the boots are special. If Nike was smart they would keep this release limited and keep the demand high for these boots.
Unlike the first elite series, with this release Nike has kept the boots limited. The first time around the elite series flooded the market and at first the silo worked but once the dust settled consumers learned the boots were over priced and not limited. In addition, Nike has a tendency to sit on boots for too long and rather than innovate faster or make changes they change the color scheme. For example, the current T90 is super dead at the moment yet each quarter Nike continues to flood the market with the same boot just in a different color.
In the end, hopefully Nike learns its lesson and keeps the boots limited so the select collectors/boot nerds can have a chance of owning them. If you are a true footy fan limited boots are special and the way to go. Props to Nike for thinking outside the box, as a footy fan I’m in love with the idea of the Nike GS.