alvaro.morales94@student.ie.edu

Decathlon is the largest sporting goods retailer in the world. It operates in 49 countries, having over 1500 stores.Decathlon brings the joy of sports to people across the world by developing innovative and affordably priced sportswear and sports equipment products.I chose this company as I'm a huge fan of the company, and I believe that in terms of innovation in its products is one of the best. In terms of customer interaction, the possibility of playing many of the sports in the shops, makes the experience of going there way more enjoyable.

Operational Innovation

There are products that you can only find in Decathlon. They create innovative products that invite customers to practice sports in a convenient and affordable way.The 2019 Decathlon Innovation Awards rewarded 18 products. Below you can find the link (in French) with all the products:https://discover.decathlon.fr/innovation-awards-decathlon-2019Since its creation in 2005, the awards have created an internal competition which aims to develop a constant product innovation.

Innovative products

Process of creating a new product

Implementation of virtual
reality

Lean Management

Seeking for continuous improvement
in the processes using LEAN.

Here you can find a job offer of what Decathlon expects for a Lean Production Manager.

POKA YOKE

Heijunka

Kaizen

Kaizen means the continuous improvement involving all the employees in a company. In the video we can see how a store manager in India talks to her other colleagues to manage to be the best store in their city.

Stock Management

20/80 Warehouse Method

Tally the Robot

"The deployment of Tally will enable Decathlon’s store members to carry out inventory audits precisely. Additionally, the inventory robot will issue alerts for out of stock items and assist in locating misplaced products."All the information is available in the attached article.

Customer Experience

"The customer experience in the shop as a basis of the brand promise".Decathlon has created an in-store value, connecting with all their customers by providing experiences. You don't only go the the store to buy a product, you also have the chance of have fun by trying the products.In my case, everytime I go to a Decathlon store, I can not miss the opportunity of playing ping-pong.

In-store experiences

Future customer relationship

Supplier Relationship
Management

"At Decathlon, responsibility
is one of our core values"

Relationships rating:
A is extraordinary
E is unacceptable

Takeaways

Decathlon keeps innovating
its products to make them
more affordable, comfortable and enjoyable.

Providing the best customer
experience is a priority for
the company.

In order to provide the best quality service,
Decathlon controls that its suppliers meet all their requirements, while at the same time assures that all the employees maintain the highest possible level of commitment.