Nike brings back Jordan scarcity strategy

Nike CEO, Elliot Hill, just announced it starting in 2027. Nike is going to start designing for scarcity and exclusivity again. Fewer Jordan retros, fewer drops, less inventory. And let me tell you right now, StockX, eBay, whatnot, and every collectible platform out there are licking their lips.

Because these businesses exploded during a market where scarcity was king. Sneakers, cards, watches, streetwear, collectibles. When people couldn't get something at retail, an entire secondary economy emerged to help them get it somewhere else. And Jordans were one of the best examples.

I wanted Jordans as a kid because I couldn't have Jordans. And that was the obsession. I remember waiting in line at Footlocker on Grand Avenue in Oakland, California for the patent leather Jordan 11s. And when I finally got them, I wore them to sleep that night. I'm serious. I felt like I won the lottery and I was the only kid in my class that had them.

And that feeling is the business model. Scarcity creates FOMO and FOMO creates competition. Competition creates resale value. And suddenly, a $200 pair of shoes isn't a shoe anymore. It's an asset. And that helped create billion dollar marketplaces around people buying and

selling things that they couldn't get anywhere else. Then brands flooded the market. More drops, more inventory, more access. And we all know this. When everybody can get something, being the person who has it doesn't mean as much. So no, I don't think making fewer Jordans magically fixes Nike.

But Nike is remembering what made Jordan special in the first place. Jordan was never powerful because everyone had them. Jordan was powerful because everybody wanted them and not everyone could get them. Scarcity is back and there's an entire economy waiting for it. Every industry, every business model, there's a larger opportunity hiding

inside of it. I'm here to help you find them. Follow me for more tech and AI news.