# On targets $3.8 billion in sales by 2029 in saturated running category — its branded-experience playbook

*The Swiss running brand bets on retail theater and creator loyalty while legacy players shed market share.*

By **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA, Principal** — The Stash Edge, Hako Shikin LLC.
Published 2026-09-23.

Canonical: https://www.pops4.com/stash/articles/on-2026-09-23t03-4
Subject: On
Tags: brand story, retail experience, creator seeding, athletic footwear, premium positioning

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On announced plans to reach **$3.8 billion** in sales by 2029, nearly doubling its current revenue, even as it described the athletic footwear market as "far more challenging," according to Retail Dive. The target arrives while Nike and Adidas both report declining North American sales and Brooks, Hoka, and Asics fight for the premium runner.

The mechanics are straightforward: On is opening high-touch retail stores in affluent corridors — Miami, New York, London — and staffing them with runners who can discuss gait mechanics and training cycles. The stores carry full product lines but function as brand embassies. The company simultaneously seeds elite athletes and influential creators with early product drops, turning them into credible narrators. The combination gives On two layers of endorsement: professional validation and peer proof.

The model works because running footwear has become an identity category, not a performance commodity. A runner choosing between **$160** shoes evaluates fit and cushioning, but the deciding variable is often brand story: who else wears this, what does it signal, where did I learn about it. On built that story by starting with professional triathletes — credible, niche, aspirational — then expanding to recreational runners who wanted the same signal. The retail stores convert curiosity into purchase by letting customers touch the product and talk to someone who has run a marathon in it. The creator network sustains the story between purchase cycles.

The steal for a small physical-product brand is to identify your highest-credibility user and make them your narrator. If you sell kitchen tools, that might be a working pastry chef. If you sell dog gear, a professional trainer. Give them early product, ask them to document real use, and distribute that content through your own channels and theirs. Then create one physical touchpoint where a prospect can experience the product and talk to someone who uses it daily — a pop-up at a farmers market, a demo day at a co-working space, a booth at a relevant trade show. Budget: **$800** for product seeding, **$1,200** for a weekend pop-up with simple signage and a folding table. The goal is not volume, it is credible endorsement that you can capture on video and repurpose.

For a brand with budget, open a temporary retail experience in a neighborhood where your customer already walks. Staff it with users, not salespeople. Make it about education and trial, not transaction. Offer a discount for buying in-store but do not hide the online option. Simultaneously, build a creator program with **10-15** people who have small, engaged audiences in your category. Give them product quarterly, no usage requirements, and repost their organic content. Cost: **$15,000** per month for rent and labor, **$3,000** per month for creator product. The return is a brand people talk about without paid media.

On is running the same play at scale: credible narrators, physical proof, and a story that justifies the premium. A small brand copies the sequence, not the budget.

## The takeaway

Find your highest-credibility user, give them product, create one physical place to demonstrate it, and let peer proof do the work.

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## Publisher

**Hako Shikin LLC** — Virginia Beach, Virginia. Founded 1997. ASI 217876 · DUNS 18-204-6339.
Principal and author: **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA**.

- Author: https://www.huanggoodman.com/about
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