Ryka, Inc. designs, engineers, manufactures and sells the ultimate lightweight shoe for the active woman, basically in the 21-35 year-old age range. The shoes are made with a focus on performance and comfort. The company’s Ultra-Lite line of athletic shoes is designed specifically for the needs of active women who seek high performance athletic shoes. The typical Ryka, Inc., customer is female and between the ages of 21-35. Ryka, Inc., is the only major athletic footwear manufacturer that designs footwear specifically to meet the needs and demands of women.
At the present time, Ryka, Inc., shoes cut across three market segments of the athletic footwear industry; the aerobic segment, the walking segment, and the cross-training segment. The company reaches this market demographic through a variety of methods, including: radio advertisements, magazine advertisements, regional television advertisements, Lady Footlocker, Footaction USA, MC Sporting Goods, and Sports and Recreation retail outlets, licensing agreements with the U.S. Ski Team, endorsement as the preferred shoe of the American Aerobics Association International, and alliances formed through its not-for-profit organization, the Ryka ROSE Foundation. The company also attempts low-cost guerilla-warfare marketing tactics, like owner Sheri Poe’s appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show. Marketing strategies also focus on retail dealers and Ryka, Inc., often offers premiums along with its footwear, like fanny packs and water bottles, to further entice customers to buy its athletic footwear.
The following objectives are proposed to help Ryka, Inc., meet its goal of securing its market position in the face of staunch industry competition from manufacturers and retailers like Nike and Reebok:
Lower product costs and other operating expenses
Diminish the turn-around time from ordering to delivery
Expand market share and broaden its current target demographic
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