Nike ID vs. Puma Mongolian BBQ

NikeID and Puma Mongolian Shoe BBQ have both taken advantage of customization with their websites. Customers are more and more interested in purchasing products, sneakers in this case, that they have designed. It definitely taps into their creative side, makes their shoe unique, and assures them that no one else out there will have a shoe exactly like theirs. This gives customers the opportunity to stand out and really showcase their personality through a pair of sneakers. I remember how excited my peers and I were when NikeID first came out and the first person I knew that purchased a pair of sneakers from the site was sure to flaunt them. The Internet allows the process to be quick and simple – with a few clicks an individual can create a sneaker designed exclusively by them.


Nike and Puma’s sites take the same general approach but their themes are very different and brand specific. Nike’s site is very classic and typical of the sneaker company. The site is divided into men’s, women’s, collections and studios. Each tab contains various options to select. The site caters to many different tastes, ages, sports, and need for different types of sneakers. Nike has far more sneaker designs on its site than Puma does. The site allows customers to either begin creating a shoe from a base design or start from scratch. This allows people who like to start with an idea or some direction to build off of what is already there. The opportunity to design a shoe from scratch allows customers to let their imagination run wild and make the shoe completely their own. A feature that I wasn’t aware of on the site is the NikeID clothing/accessories. The design options for the clothing are more limited but it is still fun to order a shirt that is “made by you.”


Although I do like some Puma sneakers, I had never visited the Puma Mongolian Shoe site before, but thought it was very creative and characteristic of the brand. In a way I did find it a little too out of the box because it is not blatantly clear when you visit the site that it is a place to customize sneakers. However, I do think the concept of a “Mongolian BBQ” is interesting. The site sticks to the theme and goes so far as to make the “What is Mongolian BBQ?” tab an actual description of Mongolian BBQs in the Far East. At the end of the description the three styles of sneakers featured on the site are mentioned, followed by the phrase “Preheat your oven and start cooking.” The site is very user friendly and allows visitors to select from the three different sneakers designs. It offers the same option as Nike where customers can begin creating their shoe from a base design or from scratch. The options for colors and textures are very characteristic of the Puma brand. The Puma site does have a unique feature, which NikeID does not have. It allows you to select a specific Puma store and build your sneaker at that specific location.

I went onto both the Nike and Puma sites and created my own sneaker. I really enjoyed my experience on the Nike site. There were a variety of sneakers for me to choose from and I opted to start from scratch. I have always wanted a pair of Nike Air Max sneakers. I then created a very colorful sneaker; something I have always wanted. I was never sure that I could “pull off” a bright sneaker but Nike ID has definitely made me think about actually purchasing the shoe I designed. Designing the shoe was very easy. After clicking on a certain part of the sneaker, color options and styles appeared that I could select. I found the Nike site to be very straight forward and easy to use. I like how you can instantly see the changes you make on the shoe. The site also provides the option of saving your shoe to your “locker” or making it your wallpaper. By putting the shoe in my locker I am able to save it and make changes later. I also liked how there is an icon that says, “design progress” and displays a number out of ten to represent the stage of completion. This allowed me to always know what stage of design I was at. Below is the colorful Nike Air Max sneaker I created and the link!


My Nike Design

My experience on the Puma site was not as good as on the Nike site. I think this was because I preferred the styles, colors, etc. that Nike had to offer. Despite my favoritism towards the Nike site, I did have a decent experience on the Puma site. Designing a sneaker was simple as the site is user friendly. First, I had to choose from the three styles of sneakers offered and then I decided to start from scratch. I did notice that there were fewer parts to the Puma sneaker thank the Nike sneaker that I could alter. This was another reason I enjoyed making the Nike sneaker better. In the future I think Puma would benefit from offering more styles of sneakers to choose from and more basic, clean colors and designs. I had a difficult time finding a design that I liked as many of them are very funky and bold – not necessarily my style. Therefore, I decided to create a sneaker that has a clean look to it. My Puma sneaker and link is pictured below.

My Puma Design

I found the technology on both of the sites to be very impressive. After I changed a color or style on a sneaker the updated design would almost instantly appear. The technology allowed me to be aware of what the sneaker looked like at each phase and it was very easy to go back and make changes if need be. As I said I did enjoy how the Nike site clearly illustrated the phase of design via a number scale out of ten.

Overall, I had a better experience on the Nike site. This could partly be because I like the Nike styles, colors, and types of sneakers available better. However, Nike does offer many more sneaker options and the NikeID site is very easy to use. I think Puma could improve their site by offering more sneaker styles and being a little more transparent about what the site has to offer and its functions. The Mongolian BBQ theme is very creative; however I do not feel that the actual products Puma is trying to sell (sneakers) are featured enough on the site.