During Nike’s first-quarter financial results conference call for fiscal 2015, President and CEO Mark Parker discussed why his company has a superior competitive edge in the marketplace.
“At the heart of our ability to achieve long-term growth is our unrivaled ability to innovate,” Parker said during the conference call, according to a Seeking Alpha transcript. “Nike delivers impressive innovations because we’ve developed ever-sharper insights from athletes and consumers, and we harness the power of new technologies, designs, and materials.”
Parker said Nike’s capabilities are greater than they’ve ever been.
“Our challenge is to edit and focus those capabilities on the most significant opportunities,” Parker explained. “And when we do this effectively, we accelerate the pace of innovation, we create competitive separation, and we deliver results, like we did in Q1.”
Nike’s first-quarter sales rose 15%, to $8 billion.
“In just the past 90 days, we’ve demonstrated the versatility and potential of our advanced Flyknit technologies, with products in running, global football, basketball, and most recently, football in the U.S.,” Parker said. “The consumer benefits are incredible, and looking ahead, I know the potential for this is significantly increasing the scope and scale of this technology is very, very real.”
Parker said Nike’s innovation agenda goes beyond products.
“It touches everything that we do,” he said. “One example is how we’re leveraging the power of digital. The digital world moves fast, and Nike is at the forefront. We’re employing new ways to engage consumers online as we create communities, services, and ecommerce experiences that fuel our growth strategies around the world. These strategies are strengthening our relationships with consumers and driving our business, as ecommerce revenues were up over 70% in the first quarter. Going forward, we will innovate at an increasingly rapid pace. We are a growth company, because we are an innovation company. That is why we are committed to sustained investment in this area. We know it fuels top and bottom line expansion and drives value for our shareholders. And when I look at our innovation pipeline, I see innovations that will, no doubt, surprise and delight, innovations that are better for athletes, consumers, and the planet. I couldn’t be more excited about what’s coming.”