By MARK JEWELL, AP Business Writer
BOSTON - Hoping to build on the success of a shoe that generated big sales but also was ridiculed when it was introduced 15 years ago, Reebok Inc. on Wednesday rolled out a next- generation high-tech sneaker with a name that takes a cue from computer software launches: the Pump 2.0.
The shoe features an air chamber that molds itself to the shape of the wearer's foot. But unlike its Pump predecessor, the new shoe inflates itself automatically after you put it on and take a few steps.
Industry analysts say the Pump 2.0, which retails for $100, and recent high-tech offerings from Nike Inc. and other rivals reflect a shift toward performance shoes and away from relatively inexpensive retro sneakers that are throwbacks to bold 1970s designs.
"The pendulum has started to swing away from retro shoes a bit," said Mitch Kummetz, an analyst for D.A. Davidson & Co. in Lake Oswego, Ore. "A couple of years ago, that was really all the consumer was interested in.
"The retro market is not going away entirely, but I think it will not grow as quickly as the performance area."
Beaverton, Ore.-based Nike has recently enjoyed success with its high-end Shox line shoes, which feature cushioning technology that the industry giant spent years developing.
Designers at Reebok, with about $3.5 billion in sales last year compared with Nike's $12 billion, spent three years coming up with the next generation of the Pump.
The original version introduced in November 1989 was inflated with the press of a pump button on the shoe's tongue. The new Chinese-produced 2.0 silently inflates itself after you slip into it and take about five steps.
A pump actuator in the heel is compressed with each step until an air bladder molds itself around the foot. A valve on the upper heel prevents inflation greater than five pounds per square inch — the optimal pressure point for a custom fit, according to the shoe's designers. The valve can be pressed to release air and loosen the shoe.
Reebok hopes to recapture some of the success of the original version, which, despite its initial $179 price, was the most successful product launch in the Canton-based company's history. Reebok sold 20 million pairs of Pumps in the first four years.
While many consumers puzzled over how an everyday item such as a shoe could be turned into something so complex, the novelty of inflatable shoes helped the Pump gain widespread media attention and a hefty dose of ridicule.
The Pump was phased out of the U.S. market in the early 1990s as interest in the shoe deflated. The patented technology is being revived in hopes that consumers in the 18- to 24-year-old bracket — who were small children when the first Pump came out — will latch onto a shoe packed with even more technology than the original, said Dennis Baldwin, Reebok's chief marketing officer.
"They tend to spend higher amounts on average per pair of shoes," Baldwin said. "For them, it's not only about having something that has lots of technology and performs, it's also about having something that is cool."
That same age group also bought into the retro shoe trend — from Converse Chucks to he Saucony Jazz. But those shoes typically are priced from $50 to $75, rather than the $100-and-up price point for most of today's high-end shoes.
"I think a year and a half ago we anticipated the retro thing couldn't get much better," Baldwin said. "We figured higher price points would have to come from innovation."
The Pump model introduced Wednesday is designed for serious runners. Reebok eventually hopes to expand into other markets, including younger consumers.
A new basketball version will debut at February's NBA All-Star game, with the expectation that the new Pump technology will work its way into versions for other sports as well as non-athletic consumers who see sneakers as fashion statements.
The Pump 2.0's self-inflating capability was a key design goal.
"The less time you're asking the consumer to adjust the shoes, the better," said Bill McInnis, a former NASA (news - web sites) engineer who heads the team that designed the new shoe.
Other shoe makers who fill smaller, intensely loyal market niches such as serious runners are content to stick to more conventional shoes and incremental improvements with each new model.
"Nike and Reebok put out some really interesting technologies that have quite a bit of 'wow' factor to observers in that category," said Pat O'Malley, marketing director at Peabody-based Saucony Inc. "The consumer we're going after is more interested in an update to an existing shoe they've worn before that has subtle improvements that are going to keep them on the road and injury-free."
BOSTON - Hoping to build on the success of a shoe that generated big sales but also was ridiculed when it was introduced 15 years ago, Reebok Inc. on Wednesday rolled out a next- generation high-tech sneaker with a name that takes a cue from computer software launches: the Pump 2.0.
The shoe features an air chamber that molds itself to the shape of the wearer's foot. But unlike its Pump predecessor, the new shoe inflates itself automatically after you put it on and take a few steps.
Industry analysts say the Pump 2.0, which retails for $100, and recent high-tech offerings from Nike Inc. and other rivals reflect a shift toward performance shoes and away from relatively inexpensive retro sneakers that are throwbacks to bold 1970s designs.
"The pendulum has started to swing away from retro shoes a bit," said Mitch Kummetz, an analyst for D.A. Davidson & Co. in Lake Oswego, Ore. "A couple of years ago, that was really all the consumer was interested in.
"The retro market is not going away entirely, but I think it will not grow as quickly as the performance area."
Beaverton, Ore.-based Nike has recently enjoyed success with its high-end Shox line shoes, which feature cushioning technology that the industry giant spent years developing.
Designers at Reebok, with about $3.5 billion in sales last year compared with Nike's $12 billion, spent three years coming up with the next generation of the Pump.
The original version introduced in November 1989 was inflated with the press of a pump button on the shoe's tongue. The new Chinese-produced 2.0 silently inflates itself after you slip into it and take about five steps.
A pump actuator in the heel is compressed with each step until an air bladder molds itself around the foot. A valve on the upper heel prevents inflation greater than five pounds per square inch — the optimal pressure point for a custom fit, according to the shoe's designers. The valve can be pressed to release air and loosen the shoe.
Reebok hopes to recapture some of the success of the original version, which, despite its initial $179 price, was the most successful product launch in the Canton-based company's history. Reebok sold 20 million pairs of Pumps in the first four years.
While many consumers puzzled over how an everyday item such as a shoe could be turned into something so complex, the novelty of inflatable shoes helped the Pump gain widespread media attention and a hefty dose of ridicule.
The Pump was phased out of the U.S. market in the early 1990s as interest in the shoe deflated. The patented technology is being revived in hopes that consumers in the 18- to 24-year-old bracket — who were small children when the first Pump came out — will latch onto a shoe packed with even more technology than the original, said Dennis Baldwin, Reebok's chief marketing officer.
"They tend to spend higher amounts on average per pair of shoes," Baldwin said. "For them, it's not only about having something that has lots of technology and performs, it's also about having something that is cool."
That same age group also bought into the retro shoe trend — from Converse Chucks to he Saucony Jazz. But those shoes typically are priced from $50 to $75, rather than the $100-and-up price point for most of today's high-end shoes.
"I think a year and a half ago we anticipated the retro thing couldn't get much better," Baldwin said. "We figured higher price points would have to come from innovation."
The Pump model introduced Wednesday is designed for serious runners. Reebok eventually hopes to expand into other markets, including younger consumers.
A new basketball version will debut at February's NBA All-Star game, with the expectation that the new Pump technology will work its way into versions for other sports as well as non-athletic consumers who see sneakers as fashion statements.
The Pump 2.0's self-inflating capability was a key design goal.
"The less time you're asking the consumer to adjust the shoes, the better," said Bill McInnis, a former NASA (news - web sites) engineer who heads the team that designed the new shoe.
Other shoe makers who fill smaller, intensely loyal market niches such as serious runners are content to stick to more conventional shoes and incremental improvements with each new model.
"Nike and Reebok put out some really interesting technologies that have quite a bit of 'wow' factor to observers in that category," said Pat O'Malley, marketing director at Peabody-based Saucony Inc. "The consumer we're going after is more interested in an update to an existing shoe they've worn before that has subtle improvements that are going to keep them on the road and injury-free."
