The adidas "mi Innovation Center," is a radically new retail concept. As the name suggests, innovation is the driving principle. The design is a large-scale, futuristic computer that provides a focal point of innovation and interaction for consumers. The mIC offers consumers customization in technology, style, and design, using unprecedented innovations such as a configurator, laser and infra-red technologies, commands generated by gesture translation, a virtual mirror, a digital 3-D universe and radio frequency identification. The mIC is the ultimate new sport temple for today’s hi-tech generation.
In here, customers are accompanied by specially trained "adidas experts" who, like a personal trainer, advise on nutrition, exercise and products. With a portable hand-held PC, the "adidas experts" record his/her personal details and desires, creating a user profile that he/she can view at their convenience via the internet. Personalized customer service is a critical component in this ‘shop of the future’.
Now i would like you to read this article written by Kathy Moran for Philippine Star last September 6 to further understand this new concept.
Sports specific. That, in two words, is what the Mi (My Individual) Adidas is. Off I went to the newest Adidas store in TriNoma to get myself outfitted with a pair of Mi Adidas shoes. Of course, I took with me my Citibank credit card because it offers a 10 percent discount on any purchase of Mi Adidas. How could I go wrong? — great shoes and a great credit card. What a great pair! Impossible is nothing!
“The future of athletic footwear evolution is here,” says Christoph Berger, founder of Mi Adidas. “It provides everyone the chance to create a unique running, football, indoor, tennis, and basketball footwear.”
Sports are a big part of my life. For the past 25 years, I have been into several sports like boxing, powerlifting, running, basketball, and badminton. Weekends find me at the mall looking for whatever’s new in my sport of the moment. It is only at the Adidas store in TriNoma that the Mi Adidas technology is available. There were two sports shoes I was interested in — badminton (indoor) and running.
“We want to help you customize your shoe,” volunteers Raffy Castillo of Adidas. “People want to have shoes that are unique to them.”
According to Castillo, Mi Adidas is a customization experience that gives customers the chance to create a personalized fit, performance, and design for a shoe that will be the best fit for their feet. After all, anyone who has ever done sports knows that a good pair of shoes should not only look good but should feel great on the feet, and make perfomance on the court even better.
First, I was asked to make a choice as to the kind of sports shoe I wanted. I opted for a running shoe. I wanted one that was black and neon green.
Then the real test came. Castillo turned on his computer, and asked me to take a few running steps on a mat, which measured the way my running strides were made. He told me that I had a tendency to step on the heel of my foot before the toe when I ran. This I guess was a style I picked up from some of the people who taught me about running.
It was great to see how I took each step on the computer program. I have had some problems with my feet so I’ve had to wear arch supports, which were recommended to me by my podiatrist years ago. I have high arches but am flatfooted when I run. The computer caught this problem — and at the end of the test, Castillo recommended that I go for wide shoes.
The techie aspect over, the real fun began. I got to pick the color and design of the shoe I wanted. I got the Mi Adizero. I liked the mesh fabric of the shoe, which made it breathable. There is nothing worse than a sports shoe that does not allow the feet to breathe.
Mitch Averia, Adidas key accounts specialist, tells me that Mi Adidas was the first brand to offer customized products. In 2003, they launched the Mi Adidas marathon series. “In 2005, 19 countries offered Mi Adidas,” says Averia. “It was in May 2007 that the Mi Adidas concept store was introduced here.”
Most of the athletes that have had Mi Adidas especially designed are basketball players. That is because some of these athletes’ shoes are provided by their teams. It is the basketball players who are most particular about their shoes. The next sport is football. After all, Adidas is the top shoe when it comes to football boots.
There are only certain styles that are available for Mi Adidas. These styles and technologies are the best for the sports that have been chosen for the Mi Adidas line. It is not possible to get just any pair of Adidas shoes customized. The shoes, which are made for Mi Adidas, are the best for the sports they are prepared for.
It takes about 21 to 30 days before you get the shoe you had customized because the shoes are made outside the
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