ASICS Innovates Through Organizational Restructuring, Surpassing Nike to Lead Premium Running Shoes

Japanese sports company ASICS has successfully rebounded in the global running shoe market by completely restructuring its organizational structure and technology development methods. After overcoming a crisis where the usage rate of ASICS among athletes in the Japanese university relay marathon 'Hakone Ekiden' had dropped to 0%, it recorded the number one market share in the premium running shoe markets of the United States, Europe, and Japan.

Organizational innovation that abandoned successful experiences, the foundation for the birth of 'METASPEED'

ASICS' rebound began with changes in the organization rather than changes in product development methods. According to the explanation in the video, in the past, ASICS' middle managers dismissed new technology trends utilizing carbon plates as temporary fads and did not respond. Consequently, in November 2019, then-President Yasuhito Hirota changed the decision-making system by forming a project team directly under the president, consisting of 12 young employees from the research, design, production, marketing, and legal departments.

To shorten the new product development period, which previously took 2.5 to 3 years, down to 1 year, the development team chose the field instead of the laboratory. They introduced a method of taking prototypes to tracks, having athletes wear them directly, and receiving feedback. The 'METASPEED' series born through this process was released in two lines: the stride type (Sky) and the cadence type (Edge), depending on the running style. This product proved its technological prowess, leading to a triathlon gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and a men's marathon silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. As a result, the athlete usage rate at the Hakone Ekiden, which was 0% in 2020, rose to 28.5% by 2026.

Onitsuka Tiger maximizes profits through a scarcity-based D2C strategy

ASICS is increasing profitability through its sub-brand 'Onitsuka Tiger', which uses a sales strategy opposite to that of its performance brand, running shoes. Onitsuka Tiger employs a Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) strategy, selling through directly managed stores and official online malls without going through distributors.

According to the video, although Onitsuka Tiger is present in 160 countries worldwide, it strictly limits the number of stores to one or two per country and manages its luxury image by suppressing store openings, such as not operating standalone stores in the United States. Furthermore, it maintains brand value by adhering to the principle of selling at the list price without discounts. This strategy led to results where Onitsuka Tiger's sales in the first half of 2026 increased by 36% compared to the previous year, with an operating profit margin reaching 39.7%. On the other hand, the running shoe division is pursuing a dual strategy, maintaining a wholesale proportion of more than half, considering the role of specialty stores.

Nike's decline and ASICS' growth indicators

Recently, the fortunes of companies in the global footwear market have been diverging. Nike experienced stagnant sales and a 3% decrease in net profit, causing its stock price to fall nearly 80% from its peak in 2021, and it was removed from the S&P 100 index for the first time in 18 years. In contrast, ASICS recorded sales of 534.4 billion yen in the first half of 2026, growing 32.7% compared to the same period last year. This is the first case since its founding in 1949 where first-half sales exceeded 500 billion yen. ASICS sets its total sales forecast for this year at 1.05 trillion yen, an increase of 29.5% from last year.