Dive Brief:

• Adidas Tuesday announced a quarterly subscription service for women it’s calling Avenue A, with a curated selection of running and other workout items. Box contents will be chosen by “fashion-forward trendsetters and trainers” with the first one assembled by fitness guru Nicole Winhoffer. 

• Winhoffer's box, out in the spring, will include the Adidas PureBOOST X running shoe designed for women. Each box will cost $150.

• The move, along with the company’s women-focused “I’m Here to Create” film marketing campaign, is part of its effort to boost its appeal to women, whom rivals Nike and Under Armour are also assertively pursuing. 

Dive Insight:

Subscription sales are booming at the moment, though they have been largely the province of consumer and beauty products like the poster child for the space, Birchbox.

But, while beauty and consumables have taken off in the subscription space, apparel retailers have had a more difficult time, in part because of the need to keep up with trends and manage inventory returns. Plus, says L2 senior research analyst John Pham, the curation aspect of subscription retail changes consumer behavior around shopping that’s more successful with replenishment or sampling models like shave clubs or beauty boxes. But when it comes to apparel “people would prefer to choose their own products,” Pham told Retail Dive. “It takes a little bit of nudging.” 

Adidas, which also says it will be including items in the still wildly popular athleisure category, may not have the same difficulty with trends, considering its performance-based fitness focus. But it could be difficult for women to flock to their subscription service considering that the company will be curating the boxes without input from subscribers.

Athleisure retailer Fabletics, co-founded by actor Kate Hudson, also offers a subscription service, but one where customers themselves choose their items.

Still, the company says that it is paying attention to what women want, and says it believes that involvement by fitness experts like Winhoffer in curating its boxes will win women over.

"Our brand is listening to what women truly want, and that is product designed specifically for her combined with unique, customized experiences,” Kelly Olmstead, senior director of adidas brand activation, said in a statement.