Selling on the Decathlon Marketplace
Decathlon is the largest sports retailer in the world. Since first opening its doors 46 years ago, the French retailer has opened 2,080 physical stores across 55 countries. With such a huge influence on the sports goods market, it’s no surprise that in 2020 Decathlon launched its own marketplace using Mirakl technology. Considering the scale of the business and the trajectory of the market, Decathlon predicts that within five years their marketplace sales will reach €1 billion. This might sound ambitious, however Decathlon has (quite literally) earned the right to be so aggressively ambitious – with a channel-combined €15 billion in net sales in 2022.
For small, medium, or aspiring-to-be-big brands looking to scale, these success stories can evoke an understandable combination of focussed motivation and cynical dejection. However, as marketplaces continue to take favour for consumers and big retailers – the opportunities for brands and resellers looking to capitalise on a multi-channel sales structure are rapidly improving. If you can’t beat them – list on them.
Why list on Decathlon Marketplace?
As a sports brand and/or reseller you would be hard pushed to find a more relevant and beneficial marketplace for listing your products.
Brands listing on Decathlon benefit from:
- Specialised channel coverage
Channel coverage is a key lever in eCommerce growth. There are hundreds of channels to choose from, and deciding on the right channels can have a significant effect on sales. The more category-specific the channel, the more likely your brand is going to be seen by your customer persona. - Brand visibility
The Decathlon marketplace has 3 million monthly visits. Although we’re all keen not to be enticed by vanity metrics – the truth is that if they can’t see it, they can’t buy it. The more eyes you can get on your product, the more likely your product is going to be noticed and (let’s hope) bought. - Reach to new EU markets
The Decathlon marketplace operates across multiple European countries. As it states on its website ‘selling through our platform can give you access to new markets and customers that you may not have been able to reach otherwise’. An international sales strategy can alleviate the pressure of seasonality, and increase overall sales. - Brand authority
It’s not all about who you know… but it certainly helps. Decathlon’s prevalence in our highstreets, and its ever-growing online store, has established it as a trusted household name. This factored in with its careful selection of sellers reassures customers of the quality of brands being listed.
How to list on Decathlon Marketplace
As we hinted at above, Decathlon is selective about its sellers. However, if you’re a sports brand, licensee or reseller, you have no reason to be put off. The initial application is very straightforward and not overly time consuming. Once submitted, Decathlon will follow up to discuss the application.
As retailer marketplaces grow in popularity, we recommend continually seeking out opportunities for improving your channel coverage across category-specific marketplaces relevant to your brand. When doing so, keep in mind which channels can be integrated into your systems and processes.
Volo integrates any marketplaces using the Mirakl platform. To find out more about how Volo could help your business scale, please get in touch.
