In the past month alone, both adidas and Nike have launched their own exclusive apps for speedy sneaker shopping. Long gone are the days where you had to camp out to get your hands on that exclusive, limited edition pair of shoes, and deal with the crowds and angry fans who left empty-handed. Say hello to Confirmed and SNKRS, the adidas and Nike mobile apps that will change the way the industry goes about marketing the latest sneakers. To give a bit more context on each app, let’s dive into how the apps actually work and most importantly, how they compare. Confirmed, adidas’ product, was an in-house built app that was created as a solution to the long lines and in-store lottery systems for sneaker fans. This app, which launched in early February is the first-of-its-kind sneaker reservation app, in congruence with the highly anticipated sale of Kanye West’s sneaker collaboration. .@KanyeWest x #adidasOriginals #YEEZYBOOST. Reservations on #adidasConfirmed for those in the US open soon.

— adidas Originals (@adidasoriginals) February 12, 2015 By using geo-targeting, adidas’ Confirmed leverages the location of consumers to reserve and pick-up sneakers from local retail stores and select wholesale partners. This process is completely mobile, everything from the registration process to reserving the sneakers is all done through the app. Available on the Apple app store or Google Play, Confirmed is available to all consumers now, and will inform users of upcoming sneaker releases via push notifications. Not too far behind from the launch of Confirmed came Nike’s SNKRs app. Less than a week later in early February (adidas’ launched on Saturday, February 7, with Nike announcing their app on Wednesday, February 11, just before Kanye West’s adidas integration on Thursday, February 12 at New York Fashion Week) Nike launched their app, which is a one-stop sneaker shop for the most premium Nike sneakers, that saves the user’s billing, shipping and sizing information to allow for speedy in-app checkout.

Known for its popular franchises like Air Force 1, Air Max, Foamposite and Jordan, as well as Nike SB products, there is little left to the imagination when it comes to Nike’s selection of men’s and women’s shoes on the app.best tennis shoes when pregnant — Nike (@Nike) February 11, 2015best walking shoes in paris Specifically, this app allows users to personalize their experience by selecting which Nike basketball shoe series and/or franchises they want to follow to be able to hear about upcoming product releases, ad campaigns or promotions. nike high ankle black shoesThe app is currently available only for iOS users, but Nike has confirmed that a version for the Android platform should be be released in the spring.adidas best running shoe 2015

What is important to note is there is somewhat of a difference between the two apps. Adidas’ Confirmed app is really geared towards the drop dates, and requires you to pick up the sneakers in store. womens running shoes north faceNike on the other hand, enables you to shop anytime, with an added benefit of drop alerts if that is what you are interested in.nike flat shoes mens It will be interesting now to see if shoppers will gravitate towards these mobile apps, as some sneakerheads would prefer to try them on and see them in person before purchasing. Nonetheless, these two new apps offer a new avenue (and new revenue stream) for Nike and adidas to market their products prior to product releases.LeBron James says that conversations have been going on for a few years regarding a retro shoe line and he's been dropping hints throughout that time by wearing certain sneakers to gauge the interest.

When LeBron James signed a lifetime deal with Nike in December 2015, the writing was on the wall: Nike was committing to retro the LeBron shoe line, which debuted in 2003 with the Air Zoom Generation. However, there was little indication of when Nike would move to push the retro line to market until Thursday night, when James revealed in a video on the Uninterrupted platform that it was time and that the retro sneakers were coming "soon." .@KingJames is bringing the 🔥 with a special announcement. p — UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) January 13, 2017 James didn't give a specific timeline for the sneakers, but a limited edition of the Air Zoom Generation, sold at a high-end price, is expected to be released later on Friday, coinciding with the Cleveland Cavaliers' visit to Sacramento, where James made his NBA debut in 2003. At shootaround before Friday's game against the Kings, James talked about the idea of the retros coming back. "The conversation has been going on for a couple years now, but we wanted to make sure the timing was right," he said. "

We've been listening to a lot of the people that's been following my career, and sneakerheads been following my career. I've been giving a little bit of a hint every now and then, wearing retros, things of that nature, just to gauge my fans and gauge my people who have been along the journey with me. It's been a conversation, but it finally came together the last couple months." Beyond Friday's limited release, the Air Zoom Generation will receive a mass-market retro release on Jan. 25 in the red and white colorway commonly known as the "First Game", which LeBron wore not in his debut in Sacramento, but his home debut a week later in Cleveland. The shoe will be available on the Nike SNKRS app as well as through the usual high-end stores like UNDFTD in L.A. and San Francisco, Kith in NYC, and Xhibition and Next in Cleveland and Akron. The shoes will be priced at $175 a pair, a 20 percent markup factoring for inflation, compared to the $110 price in 2004. Nike has yet to disclose any further plans on additional retro rollouts from the LeBron line. T

he most highly coveted LeBron model among fans is the 8, which he wore in the 2010-11 season. Out of all the models -- there are now 14 -- James said the first one is his favorite. "It's the beginning," said James, who revealed he might wear his first signature shoe for Friday night's game. "It's like your first child. I know you're not supposed to pick one over the other, even though my daughter is above everybody in the household right now. But it was the first; it was the start of it all. I'm just blessed to be in this position today." Going back to the beginning led to James reminiscing about putting on his shoes for the first time. "It was just a dream come true," said James. "Just an 18-year-old kid that has so many dreams, and the odds are stacked up against him. For me to be in a position where I was putting on a pair of shoes that have my name on them, putting on a jersey that had my name on the back, my family's name on the back. It was just a moment where anything is possible, and if you just put your heart into it and you have a great supporting cast and you put in the work, then things can come true. I