Adidas to ban eBay and Amazon online portals

Adidas is to ban retail partners from listing its products on the eBay and Amazon.com portals as the business looks to gain more control over how its brands are marketed, sold and distributed online.

AdidasPic

The decision is part of a global initiative prohibiting all retail partners from listing the company’s products on sites it doesn’t approve. 

Adidas’ move will come into effect from January 2013 and will also cover the Reebok brand.

It is unknown how the company will enforce the policy, which covers 170 markets, or whether it will affect non-direct retailers selling its brands online.

The move is thought to be part of Adidas Group’s global customer and range segmentation strategy, which the company is using to ensure that products under its Adidas and Reebok brands “will be best presented in the right environment at all times.”

Adidas were unavailable to provide details on how the initative would be delivered by the time this article went to press.

Mounting pressure on pricing levels and concerns over fake products are key concerns for clothing manufacturers trading online, and Adidas’ latest venture will look to allay these fears by prohibiting specific sites. 

The strategy could also benefit the company’s push to be seen as a fashion label. While Adidas is world renowned sports brand, its fashion offering is not as well known.

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