Who in this era has not visited a shopping complex or doesn’t know about one? Everybody does know what a shopping complex is. The main concept of a shopping complex is based on attracting the customer with a unique idea of generalizing the particular needs of every customer. But the limitation is, the things that are available in a shopping complex are mostly used for household purposes.
What about Sports?
Ever asked a sportsperson how difficult it is to buy the required stuff for their respective sport? The answer, overwhelmingly, will be – it is the toughest job.
Here, enters Decathlon, with the same unique concept of a shopping complex, but with a twist. The apparel is restricted to sports. It is a leading sports apparel and accessories brand, where you get all your requirements for sports, under one roof.
Decathlon’s marketing strategy has moved shackles in the whole world, which is a reciprocation of its mind-blowing marketing strategy, determined by its 4 Ps.
1. Anything & everything
Decathlon’s product portfolio includes all the sports equipment (more popular, or less popular), their accessories, clothing, footwear and everything required. The wide collection is spread over various categories of sports namely, football, basketball, baseball, cricket, badminton, archery, billiard, darts, field hockey, roller skates, volleyball, scuba diving, and many more. In short, each and everything of your requirement is present, for both men and women.
2. Low Price, High Quality
You would be surprised to know that Decathlon keeps its prices 20 percent lower than its competitors, without compromising on quality. The brand aims to encourage sports in every part of the world and makes sure that the sporting gears are available at affordable prices. The pricing is low because of the optimization of internal processes in design and logistics.
3. (Almost) Everywhere
There are two things, one said and one unsaid. Decathlon has an immensely distributed network with over 800 stores all over the world. This is the best said about the brand when it is more than that. Look at it this way. The cover that Decathlon has made, as compared to the other stores is immense, because it has attracted customers of almost every sport towards it. So, the cover which cannot be seen is the intangible spread of Decathlon.
4. Customer Experience & Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Decathlon’s promotional and advertising strategy is in itself astonishing stuff. Decathlon also has products of all kinds from its own brands, which it heavily promotes. Decathlon has a very high product-quality relation, because of its affordability factor with its quality as its differentiator.
The brand also uses institutional publicity to portray all its distinctive features. The customer’s in-store experience, where people spend their time in knowing more about the sport, is also spread by the word-of-mouth, the most delicate form of promotion, which the brand has managed to achieve.
Also Read: Marketing Strategies Using Which Netflix Is Ruling Indian OTT Market
So this brings us to the end of Decathlon’s marketing mix, with its 4 Ps – Product, Price, Place & Promotion, which is in fact, considered one of the best marketing strategies that involve a whole lot of innovation.
