Decathlon: "God Level" Rookie Experience

If you go back to Decathlon's headquarters in France, you can see another design center that is not working properly, which is the second largest French design center after Renault, which has the largest industrial design center in France. It looks like a sports ground.

Some people in the industrial park are playing football, some are brandishing golf clubs, and others are practicing with all kinds of sports equipment that have never been seen in the market. These athletes are busy testing Decathlon's sports products, but they are not professionals, they are Decathlon employees.

This "primary" test is what Decathlon intends to do. What they want to do is entry-level products.

Nike and other sports brands do not like to put themselves together with Decathlon, because it seems unnecessary. Decathlon's positioning is obviously the sports equipment such as ball games, roller skates and so on. It doesn't dress up as the main players; but those sophisticated high-end professional sports equipment providers, such as "Suo Connie" of the "Rolls-Royce in moving shoes", and Yonex badminton racquet used by Olympic athletes, are also not associated with Decathlon because their products are too "stupid", many of them are prepared for "sports Xiao Bai".

The stronger the professional performance of sporting goods, the higher the price. For example, high grade professional running shoes can adjust the sole according to the running preference and the shape of the sole, and the entry level. Running shoes It only needs brisk and shock absorption. Decathlon's products are often able to meet the basic needs of sports and sell at a low price. Sports outsiders at the bottom of Pyramid are willing to try.

But Decathlon's entry level does not all mean low technology. Another meaning of "fool" is that it is also easy for outsiders to use. In 2012, Decathlon launched an outdoor tent that can be opened in just two seconds. Before installing a tent, two adults need to spend at least half an hour. This lazy tent has been sought after by the market, followed by peers.

From the beginning of design, Decathlon Firmly grasp the industry chain, and 90% of the products are produced. Independent brand And sell them in your own stores. It is necessary to ensure the professionalism of entry level, and to lower the cost, so that the rookie can experience the beauty of sports at low price.

Decathlon pursues global sourcing. It has an automatic ordering system. At seven every night, the system automatically calculates the second day distribution according to the sales volume of the day. This ensures the flexibility of production and reduces inventory.

Take Decathlon's own brand OXELO as an example, its children's scooter is designed in France, almost "revolutionary" to solve the safety problems of children's scooters. But its raw materials come from Monaco, and the manufacturing sector in Bangladesh is a low cost country.

At the same time, in some manufacturing factories, the price of real estate depends on local conditions. The scooter is priced at only 19.95 euros (about 141 yuan) in Europe, while the price in China is about 149 yuan.

More importantly, Decathlon designs products according to sports category rather than by region. That is to say, the styles sold in Decathlon stores all over the world are the same. From the perspective of supply chain, it is possible to achieve the optimal cost of mass production as few as possible. So Decathlon's clothes are just like those. They only change in color and detail every season, like UNIQLO, with the basic funds.

But these basic items also contain entry level technology content. In 2010, Decathlon launched a sweater price of 49 yuan, with a fabric density of 200 grams. The higher the density of the fleece, the better the warmth retention. At that time, the product density at the same price was below 200 grams. This sweater is called "God clothes" by donkey friends and has been popular for several years.

It can be said that Decathlon, based on the whole industry chain, does not expect to split in the existing market, but rather uses the "God level" entry product to cultivate rookie customers. This group is the largest group in sports consumption.