Adidas Mobile App An eCommerce Shoe-In?

Fans of Adidas athletic footwear have a new option for shopping on the go. The German sportswear giant has finally released its first shopping mobile app for iOS and Android, allowing shoppers to bypass the mobile web browser and buy directly through the mobile app platform using Apple Pay or Android Pay.

According to news from Engadget, Adidas designed the shopping app to deliver a tailored experience based on each individual consumer’s preferences — the gear they like, the sports they play. When customers use the app with their Adidas account, it “learns” more about them and can offer better recommendations.

However, Adidas didn’t want to stop at personalized product pitches. The mobile app also serves up a personalized blend of blog posts, videos and updates from sponsored athletes, such as James Harden, Lionel Messi and Paul Pogba.

This may be the company’s first shopping app, but it’s not its first app rodeo. Adidas has quite an ecosystem of mobile apps, including the All-Day interactive health and fitness app launched earlier this year and the Runtastic platform it acquired (along with 100 million users) in 2015.

The company reportedly held off on launching its mobile shopping app because it was working hard to optimize the web experience and ensure that the new app, when it launched, would connect seamlessly with other Adidas-powered apps.

Down the road, the new app may also become a destination for reserving limited-edition models, such as the highly sought-after Yeezys by Kanye West. Today, such exclusive drops are only available through its dedicated reservation app “Confirmed” — but why keep that function separate when it could be rolled into the total streamlined mobile app experience?

This may be a case of “less is more,” where a one-stop Adidas shopping destination makes more sense for both consumers and the company. However, Adidas has not yet unveiled the specifics of its plans for “Confirmed” or any of the other myriad apps revolving around its brand.