The recent holiday season provided an example of a consumer-driven "correction" taking place in the retail industry, Nike CEO Mark Parker told CNBC on Thursday, and that's created a big priority for the sneaker and athletics company.
"Obviously there's a huge appetite from a consumer standpoint for digital products—e-commerce, digitally based commerce I should say," Parker said during an interview on "Squawk on the Street." "We'll see that continue. This holiday was a great example of how the consumer is shifting, not only to digital but mobile-based digital commerce."
Parker's interview comes as the global footwear and athletic apparel company gears up for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil this summer and promotes a new knitted soccer cleat, the Magista. Parker also told CNBC the company sees a relationship between brick-and-mortar retailers and digital commerce, with its own stores and wholesalers alike.
"We think managing that marketplace is ... the critical way to go," Parker said.
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Asked whether macroeconomic issues, such as unstable emerging market economies or tensions in Ukraine, could hit his bottom line, Parker told CNBC that the company feels confident about its growth. China, for example, represents its second-largest market, he said.
"I feel good about turning the corner in China," Parker said. "We're not completely around the corner. I feel like we're laying the foundation for another round of growth in China."
(Read more: Why shop for shoes when you can 3-D print them?)
Parker declined to comment on specific competitors, such as a rival soccer shoe from Adidas or Under Armor's bad press over its speed-skating suits during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
"I actually like to focus on the distance between Nike and our potential versus the distance between Nike and our competition," Parker said.
—By CNBC's Jeff Morganteen. Follow him on Twitter at @jmorganteen and get the latest stories from "Squawk on the Street."