Nike expands Web site

Sports marketing giant Nike today quietly unveiled a new look for its Web site, expanding online sales and pumping up its database.

The redesigned site features an upgraded database for locating more than 10,000 stores that sell the company's athletic footwear, and includes more Nike products for sale, including the Jordan basketball and Nike golf lines.

The Beaverton, Oregon-based firm said customers will now be able to view hundreds of Nike products on the site and buy some styles as they become available during the Fall. Fourteen sports categories will be represented.

In February, Nike began selling some of its high-end sports footwear and apparel directly to consumers over the Net.

The firm, taking baby steps, initially sold five products from its so-called Alpha Project line on nike.com.

Now, Nike is adding more features to the site, including a "boot recommendor," which enables soccer players to match their level of expertise to the right footwear. Nike said it will also frequently update content on the site, which is arranged by sports category, and offer "movie makers"--a feature that visitors can use to design and edit their own message using Nike images and sound tracks, and then email to a friend.

As an introductory offer, Nike is waiving shipping costs for all customers. However, Nike's online sales are limited to customers with addresses within the United States.