from Ingo Röger
plentysystems opens its doors for the integration of the international marketplace for Sport & Outdoor
Since its founding in 1976, DECATHLON has grown to become one of the largest sporting goods manufacturers and retailers in the world. The company, which originated in Lille, France, now operates over 2,000 stores in 56 countries, employs over 100,000 people, and generated annual sales of 15.2 billion euros in 2022. The self-proclaimed intention: to provide as many people as possible with access to the pleasure and benefits of sports - and to do so with a focus on environmental sustainability. To achieve this, the online store is now being expanded into a sales platform and opened up to external partners using the Mirakl marketplace solution. With the standard integration of plentysystems DECATHLON can be seamlessly connected and developed as an additional sales channel.
The starting point for sports in e-commerce
DECATHLON's product range includes items from over 100 sports and offers them all in one place. This positions DECATHLON as the entry point for online shoppers looking for items in the sports & outdoor sector.
An evaluation of demographic characteristics of the customer portfolio paints a clear picture of the shopper profile: DECATHLON reaches young families with children and an above-average household income. On average, DECATHLON customers are 39.1 years old and show a high affinity for Internet and e-commerce. 75% indicate they exercise at least 1-2 times a week. According to their own information, DECATHLON enjoys notoriety among 60% of those surveyed and has the highest purchase intention among visitors. In other words, DECATHLON offers the best prerequisites for successfully selling articles in the Sports & Outdoor product segment.
The partner program as a growth lever
DECATHLON's platform strategy allows partners to benefit from this attractive reach. After successful onboarding, millions of visitors in over 12 countries can be reached through one single gateway. The domestic French platform decathlon.fr has the highest turnover, followed by the German market, which is served on decathlon.de. Additionally, products can be listed and sold in Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Hungary, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Requirements for participation in the affiliate program are:
- Product range in Sports & Outdoor
- No outlet products
- Content in national languages
- National VAT ID or proof of OSS
- High service quality and 2nd level support
- Meeting DECATHLON customer promises regarding shipping costs and return period
- Return service with free return label
In addition, DECATHLON offers its own fulfillment solutions - available in Belgium, France, Italy and Germany - where orders are processed through the marketplace's logistics network and stock is held in warehouses within the countries of distribution.
The following diagram explains the entire process for integrating DECATHLON as a distribution channel, including the necessary next steps:
Selling on DECATHLON with plentysystems
DECATHLON relies on the marketplace platform Mirakl to open their online store for external merchants and to list their products. plentysystems provides a standard integration to Mirakl, so a smooth connection to DECATHLON is quickly and easily established. Data is exchanged through the API interface, items and offers are exported through catalogs, and DECATHLON fulfillment is also supported.
To begin selling on DECATHLON requires the admission to the partner program and successful completion of the onboarding process. Subsequently, the configuration in plentysystems can be performed. All that is required here is to enter information about the merchant account, prepare the variations and assign item information in the catalogs to establish the data exchange.
Further information about the DECATHLON partner program and the setup in plentysystems can be found in the following links.
Learn more about the DECATHLON partner program now and start your application
More about the DECATHLON integration in plentyManual