In addition to the risk of alienating its retailers, reebok shoes outlet was concerned about the experience of its e-commerce customers. Reebok shoes outlet had never before had significant direct contact with consumers and would now need to tailor the shopping experience to be consistent with the reebok shoes outlet brand. For products like athletic shoes, with a high "touch-and-feel" component, reebok shoes outlet would have to find creative ways to satisfy customers’ desire to know how the products looked and fit.
It was hard to see how reebok shoes outlet could fulfill that need without continuing support from its bricks-and-mortars partners. As reebok shoes outlet considered further expansion into e-commerce, the company had to rethink its approach to nearly every core function it performed or managed. Manufacturing standards would have to change if reebok shoes outlet was to ship goods directly to consumers who had to rely on consistent sizing for sight-unseen purchases. Reebok shoes outlet needed to learn manufacturing planning and inventory management to suit uncertain consumer demand rather than pre-determined retailer orders.
