Nike is Letting You Pre-Order Shoes with the SNKRS Reserve Program

A small but vocal subset of sneakerheads has been calling for the footwear industry to open up a pre-order system. The cries were loudest during the deep days of the pandemic when virtually any sneaker online was instantly selling out and demanding a price premium on the aftermarket. Even though sneakers are much easier to cop today, it seems Nike may begin to roll out pre-orders through the SNKRS App with a new program dubbed SNKRS Reserve.

On Kobe Day (8/24), Nike dropped the upcoming Nike Kobe 3 Protro Christmas early through the all-new SNKRS Reserve. Fans had to scan a QR code to gain access on the SNKRS App, which then prompted them to the SNKRS Reserve page. Here, Nike explained that the program “allows you to order sneakers before they’re made” in order to help them “make the best production decisions while providing you access to new, exclusive products.” Once you place an order, your card is charged, and the pair will be shipped out before the specified date. For the Kobe 3 Protro Christmas, pairs are expected to ship before December 24.

Nike is by no means a stranger to offering pre-orders, though this has mainly been through its web3 efforts. The RTFKT x Nike Dunk Genesis was released via a pre-order, as was the brand’s Cryptokicks iRL sneaker and AF1 collection.

While these were aimed at the luxury market, with prices in the thousands of dollars, .SWOOSH offered pre-orders for the Low Poly Air Max 1, Tomb Raider-inspired colorway, and the GoldenEye 007 pair. Outside of this, the .SWOOSH program also offered a pre-order for the upcoming Nike GT Future Fire during Nike’s NYvsNY event.

Other brands have also ventured into this space, most notably Aime Leon Dore. The Teddy Santis-led label has offered pre-orders on multiple New Balance collaborations, including 860v2 collections, a 993 inspired by the brand’s bespoke Porsche collab, and a pack of 650Rs.

Nike’s marketing strategy has often centered around what you can’t have, meaning the limited nature of many of these products is what sells them. Many people are aware of this, just look at the comments on collab sneakers that say, “If Travis Scott’s name wasn’t attached, these would sit.” That’s probably true, but in the case of pre-orders, the consumer and brand both win. People will have their kicks secured, and the brand won’t overproduce and be stuck with leftover inventory.

It seems like a perfect system, but getting the general public and sneakerheads to essentially give Nike an interest-free loan to go make shoes and wait 6-8 months to get their product is a tough ask. Sneakerheads online complained about waiting 2-3 weeks for shipping on the recent Undefeated x Air Jordan 4 Retro. If Nike made everyone wait over half a year and kept their $230+, you’d see long threads on X complaining about Nike’s shipping times.

Maybe the SNKRS Reserve program is a test to gauge consumer interest around silhouettes they’re unsure will do well, or maybe it is Nike wanting to do the right thing and get shoes in the hands of loyal fans without having to fight for 1-of-10,000 pairs. Overall, it’s a good option for Nike to have in its arsenal of release methods, but only if consumers are willing to remain patient.

Nicholas Vlahos

Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy attending concerts and catching the latest movies. Email: nick@soleretriever.com