What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear or read the word “Decathlon”? Indeed, you think of a chain of establishments that sells and distributes sports equipment.
Decathlon goes far beyond its physical stores and has developed a new strategy to conquer the online market in the sports sector and has created its own marketplace.
The company was founded in 1976 and is present in no more and no less than 57 countries. However, its owners have reconsidered their business model, in order to expand their expansion, and have decided to bet on the marketplace.
One of the reasons why Decathlon has decided to carry out this strategy is because we are currently in a digitization context in which online sales have been growing more and more, especially during the pandemic, at a time when which sales in marketplaces increased by more than 80% compared to the data collected during the previous year, according to various sources.
Thanks to this strategy, the company would aspire to work with other brands and become the largest distributor of sports equipment in all of Spain.
Will marketplaces conquer online commerce?
Digital purchases and consumption have become common today due to the constant digitization that the global economy has presented, which has led many companies to enter the world of electronic commerce.
The Decathlon case is not the only one, nor are these the pioneers in establishing this online business model: renowned brands, which most of us use often, have also joined the wave of Marketplaces.
A clear example is the clear example of Makro. It is a marketplace specialized in the Horeca sector and is aimed, for the most part, at independent restaurateurs. This marketplace also makes its products available to any user, not only to professional buyers.
This has created a new business opportunity for every hotel company, right now that it is in one of its hardest moments.
If you want to know more about the new creation of said marketplace, do not hesitate to take a look at our article on how to sell on MAKRO Marketplace Spain.
This new digital platform allows companies to contact sellers and distributors in order to offer a wide range of products to their customers, in exchange for a series of fees or commissions, obviously. Without a doubt, one of the advantages of Marketplaces is that they provide greater visibility and digital comfort, as well as more diversity of customers, thanks to their large demographic reach, among other aspects.
Will Decathlon manage to become the leaders of sports marketplaces?
As a curious fact, and I think many users will be surprised, Decathlon has a solid and broad base of its own brands specialized in different sports, and even has products from big brands in its catalogue, such as the well-known Adidas. However, these only represent 10% of the products available in the catalog on its website.
If we investigate a bit, the Decathlon marketplace does not come from nowhere, the company has been developing this project in Belgium for more than a year.
In addition, we can see how this project has been widely accepted by the Belgian public and highlight the fact that, to date, it has more than 100 brands in its catalogue.
Thus, this new approach would represent a unique opportunity for brands to take advantage of the large volume of traffic that this popular sports eCommerce receives. In other words, the marketplace would become an opportunity for associated brands to increase their visibility and sales, as well as a place where they can run out of stock and make themselves known more easily through cross-selling with other brands.
Decathlon plans continued expansion...
Currently, Decathlon has more than 170 stores in Spanish territory, so the incorporation of marketplaces into the market could bring renewed growth for the company and, as we have previously mentioned, this project begins in Belgium, but it does not end in this country, but the plan is to expand to as many countries as possible, as in the case of Germany.
It is nothing new to say that the company intends to reinforce its commitment to innovation and accessibility of sport through its marketplace, a project initiated with the collaboration of approximately 30 sports brands, which translates into some 25,000 sports references. Decathlon’s objective, through this project, is to work with colleagues who share their meaning and values, in order to work under the same philosophy.
At the same time, this will allow the company to offer its public the best sports offer in Spain.
Spain is part of the podium of the countries where Decathlon has a higher turnover and, without a doubt, it will be a great bet to establish this business model. Even recently, the company has started conversations with different Spanish brands related to the world of sports.
There is no doubt that more and more companies decide to bet on marketplaces, which are increasingly expanding thanks to their acceptance by the public: more and more buyers are searching on this type of platform. .
Do you want to sell on marketplaces? We help you
At Década Studio we are aware of the importance for different businesses to be present in the largest online storefronts worldwide. Above all, when this presence translates into increased sales, expansion into new markets, minimal infrastructure and operating costs, and much more.
For this reason, we offer comprehensive management of the entire sales process so that you can get the most out of online sales.
Since after hours invested in training and knowledge we have become one of the few agencies in Spain cataloged as Official Amazon Partners.
