Nike is returning to Amazon after abandoning the platform years ago. They're trying to reclaim their running shoe dominance.

However, the truth is...

Smaller brands like HOKA and Brooks have completely overtaken the category while Nike was gone.

The athletic footwear market is where technology meets fashion meets health. It's a place of constant innovation, with companies fighting to create the perfect shoe.

But right now, the competition is running away from them..........

Below we're showing how the market share has changed in the previous 12 months. Here the list of winners:

HOKA
New Balance
Altra
ON

The losers:

Saucony
Brooks
Under ARmour
Adidas
Nike
ASICS

ASICS and Nike are the big losers for the year. It's hard to say Brooks is a loser when they already have 26% market share. But holy moly HOKA. As an avid runner myself, I like them. Seems like Amazon shoppers agree.

Serious runners will purchase 2-3 shoes a year. It's basically a consumable product with that repeat purchase rate. And runners are often worth winning over as they don't brand hop that much.

Here are a few more data points that make the story better.

Nike resellers advertise to sell Nike products. But since they don't act like the brand, they don't invest like the brand. They are spending less than 4% of the advertising spend on the category despite having 8% of the market. Brooks/ASICS/New Balance make up over 50% of the advertising spend on the category. With that investment, expect them to continue winning the mens shoes category.

TAKEAWAY

Investing into the channel often leads to winning the channel. Amazon isn't a set it and forget it. You can't rely on 3P sellers do what's in your brands best interest. HOKA's insane growth might not last forever, but for now.... America likes them a lot more than they used to.

Will Nike retake the throne? Will Phil Knights love of running get back to center stage?