You are a marketing executive at Lululemon. It is an exciting time for the company as you are launching a new footwear line; this is Lululemon's first venture into the footwear market and there is a lot of pressure on marketing to ensure that the launch and longevity of the footwear line is successful!

Your manager has tasked your team with researching marketing tactics that Lululemon can take to break into this highly competitive market. Your manager wants you to present this to the marketing director and other executives at Lululemon, ultimately concluding with your team's recommendation of which marketing tactic would be most beneficial to the company, and the footwear divisions' success.

\fLululemon is venturing into footwear, marking a new product category,r for the maker of leggings and sports bras and deepening its rivalry with giants like Nike and Adidas. The company's rst ever running shoe for women, called Blissfeel, will be available to purchase starting March 22 in select markets across North America, Mainland China and the United Kingdom. The running shoes will retail for $ 148. The launch marks Lululemon's oiccial foray.r into the sneaker category, m g o_nlv_mevious1v sold a small collection of shoes from Athletic Propulsion Labs. The footwear business, for women and men, could prove to be another important lever of growth for the athlec clothing retailer as it seeks to catch its larger competitors. Sneaker sales have boomed during the pandemic as more consumers pick up running or opt for more comfortable shoes while working from home. It's an incrediny heated category with competitors ranging from giants like Nike and (in Running to more niche brands like Allbirds, which also makes a running shoe. Lululemon said it's aiming to launch a men's footwear collection next year, at which point it will expand its selection for women with special edition shoes and seasonal sneakers. In the meantime, Lululemon said itwill debut two types ofwomen's cross h'aining sneakers this summer, priced at $1 33 and $148, followed by a slide on shoe me ant for postworkout we ar, at $5 3, and another training sneaker with a more supportive midsole, at $123. \f\"It represents an exciting moment for our brand,\" he said. \"We are entering me footwear categoryr the same way we built our apparel business with products designed to solve unmet needs, made for women rst. " Athletic footwear sales in the United States grew 1?% for men and 24% for women in 202 1 compared with 202D levels, according to data from market research rm NPD Group. The top sneaker brands for women, notably, are Nike, Skechers, Adidas, Brooks and New Balance, according to NPD sports analyst Matt Powell. Powell said he anticipates sales of both women's and men's sports footwear will grow a lowsingledigit percentage this year, coming olf of lastyear's gains, with the rst half of 2022 facing bigger challenges for die industry than the latter half. Early last year, another round ofstimulus checks from the government propelled consumer spending, Powell said. And many shoppers opted for a new pair of shoes. Lululemon's sales for die 12 months ended Jan. 3 1, 2'32 1 grey.T to $4.4 billion from $3.93 billion a year earlier. Its stool: is down more than 2D% year to date. Nike, for comparison, raked in $44.5 billion in sales in its seal year ended May 31, up 19% from priorye ar levels. Adidas has yet to report its results for 2132 1. Its revenue for the 12 months ended Dec. 31, 2620, amounted to 19.3 billion euros, or about $2 1.5 billion