SportsShoes.com sees Nike ZoomX Ultrafly hit 97% sell-through in just 48 hours

SportsShoes.com has smashed a 97% sell-through of the Nike ZoomX Ultrafly within just 48 hours of launch – with world number one ranked triathlete Hayden Wilde fronting the marketing campaign.

The new Nike release is the brand’s first carbon-plated trail shoe, and flagship product for that market, following its success in carbon "super shoes" for road running customers.

The successful activation of the new £229.95 shoe comes after the retailer partnered with Nike on a joint two-year sponsorship deal with New Zealand native Wilde. It marked the first time the brand has ever worked with a partner on its global athlete sponsorship programme.

Gavin Bannister, Brand Manager at SportsShoes.com, said: "Our motto at SportsShoes.com is it’s no fun standing still and this activation - bringing to market a groundbreaking Nike product aimed for trail runners - is testament to that.

"The success behind this activation would not have been possible were it not for Nike’s innovative product design and our brand marketing team’s creative streak.

"It was a privilege to work with Nike and Hayden on this campaign. As a top on and off-road triathlete, he is perhaps the most qualified athlete to provide unrivalled insights into the Ultrafly’s performance. We look forward to replicating this success for our brand partners with future high-impact activations."

The Nike ZoomX Ultrafly has a Vaporweave fabric upper which increases airflow, and built-in support to give the wearer a firm fit to reduce in-shoe slippage. The fabric also keeps the shoe light, even when wet. Soft and springy, the foam midsole also "delivers Nike Running's greatest energy return yet", absorbing impact and expelling it back out for a bounce-like effect.

Established in 1982, SportsShoes.com offers customers over 17,000 products from 150 global running and outdoor brands. As well as Nike, on the running side it includes Adidas, Asics, New Balance and Hoka, and in the outdoor sector there’s Haglöfs, Montane, Rab and Patagonia.

In June, the retailer, which has an annual turnover of £83.8m, revealed its first quarter turnover for the financial year commencing1 March 2023 was up 20% year-on-year. The company also announced the acquisition of 140,000 new customers, securing orders from 200,000 repeat customers over the same period.

Additionally, in May 2023, SportsShoes.com unveiled a new 10,750 sq ft ‘creative and tech hub’ in Bradford costing £2.5 million. It will support its future growth ambitions and its aim to become "the world's most sustainable running equipment retailer by 2025".