What you’ll read: Check out Decathlon’s website from inception to 2021!
France-based sporting good retailer Decathlon is the biggest name in the business.
That’s not conjecture, either.. With nearly 1,650 stores in over 50 countries, Decathlon is pound-for-pound the largest and most widespread sporting goods brand around.
Much of Decathlon’s current success stems from the team’s dedicated ecommerce efforts and initiatives.
In fact, 2020 was huge for Decathlon in terms of ecommerce sales.
As Decathlon’s digital presence continues to evolve, we thought it’d be a good idea to look back at the brand’s online journey up until now.
Let’s start from the beginning.
Decathlon.com in 1998: A Simple Start
At first glance, the initial version of Decathlon’s website isn’t all that much to write home about.
It seems that Decathlon had actually been on the right track from the get-go.
For one thing, there are a ton of links and content to check out throughout the site — with relatively clear paths for browsing purposes.
Much of the content is presented in a personal manner, as well:
That said, the site’s copy is a bit cheesy at times:
Decathlon also provided a ton of additional resources for athletes of all kinds to check out. There also seems to have been an online forum for customers to engage with — but it unfortunately has not been archived.
As focused on the customer as Decathlon’s site clearly is, you may have noticed that the English version of the site isn’t exactly translated all that well at times. As we’ll get to, Decathlon quickly remedied this issue in future versions of the site.
As for product-focused content, Decathlon’s initial site offered multiple, thematic catalogues — along with some basic information regarding product quality and durability.
However, true ecommerce functionality was still years away at this point.
All in all, Decathlon’s first foray into the online realm shows clear promise for the future. Though the execution wasn’t exactly there, the team clearly understood the importance of using the website to connect with and deliver value to the customer.
Decathlon.com in 2006: A Worldly Approach
By 2006, Decathlon had made a few clear improvements to their site — but were still missing the mark in terms of bringing a truly unique, valuable experience to their audience.
The first thing we noticed is that Decathlon had begun creating dedicated site versions for different geographic regions.
ThisMade for improved translations of site copy — a clear improvement over the previous practice. Moreover, each version was further tailored to match the needs and expectations of that specific audience.
For our purposes, we’ll be looking at the US version of Decathlon’s site:
The first thing we notice here is a lack of navigational guidance.
Looking at the main images on the page, it’s not obvious that they link over to specific product category pages. Worse yet, many of the images are pretty ambiguous, creating a confusing experience from the get-go.
Navigation is easier on subsequent pages of the site — specifically through the use of standard headers and footers.
Site content has definitely improved, both in quality and presentation…but not by much.
In some cases, it’s pretty clear the content is meant to fill an empty space on the site:
Product-related content has improved a bit, but is still pretty “bare bones” in terms of information and interactivity:
Though ecommerce ordering still does not seem functional as of yet, Decathlon does include a product catalogue/flyer in downloadable PDF form.
This 20-page catalogue offers a much deeper look at Decathlon’s product catalogue in its entirety.
Again, while not polished to perfection , Decathlon’s website is definitely on track to becoming what it is today.
Decathlon.com in 2014: A Much-Needed Facelift
By 2016, Decathlon’s website had taken on a much more modern appearance and feel.
The site’s navigability has improved drastically at this point. User-friendly headers and footers enabled customers to quickly click over to the right spot on the site — while newly-added search functionality made it even easier to do so.
The site’s layout had also improved, overall. Better use of screen space, coupled with carousels and other space-saving techniques, make for a more streamlined experience for the user.
Now, it at first seems that content has taken a backseat on Decathlon’s site. While it isn’t front-and-center, it’s actually some of the most impressive content we’ve seen throughout our “Wayback” series.
Not only does Decathlon now have a well-maintained blog,but the content is actually pretty helpful.
From training tips and best practices, to interviews and industry news, Decathlon’s blog adds a ton of value to the customer experience that simply wasn’t there before.
But, again, this content isn’t promoted all that heavily on the main page — potentially making it easy to miss. Unfortunately, this is one case where missing out means a lot of lost value for the customer.
At any rate, the site had become much more product-centiric, as Decathlon’s ecommerce efforts were well underway across the board.
For starters, their entire product catalogue is now available online — and is much more intuitive to navigate. Product pages have also evolved, and become informative.
Here, we see each product page includes:
- In-depth product specs and pricing
- Customer ratings and reviews
- Related product suggestions
…and much more information to help the customer make the right purchasing decision.
Ecommerce functionality was now in full swing, with Decathlon offering both home delivery and click-and-collect options to online shoppers.
One last thing to mention is Decathlon’s efforts to deliver an engaging, multichannel experience to their customers — specifically via social media.
While not their main focus by any stretch, this shows the team’s willingness to dive into uncharted territory to better connect with their customers.
Though Decathlon’s website had been showing promise since the start, the team had finally begun realizing their true potential by now — and would continue to build on it in the years to come.
Decathlon.com in 2018: The Best Effort Yet
Less than five years later, Decathlon’s website evolved dramatically — becoming the best version of the site thus far.
The homepage takes on a more modern look and feel. The longform approach — coupled with use of carousels and white space — allows the team to pack the homepage with information without overwhelming the customer.
Similarly, the header (and its dropdown menu) makes for quick and easy browsing for site visitors.
At any rate, visitors can visit any section of the site they want, directly from the homepage. While products and promotional content get most of the attention, blog content and other brand experiences are no longer relegated to the backburner.
As you’ll recall, Decathlon’s blog was all but buried under the rest of the site’s content in the past version.
Speaking of Decathlon’s blog content, the team’s “Playbook” has continued to evolve over time.
Again, customers are presented with relevant, informative and helpful content that will help them get more out of their overall experience with Decathlon.
The team has also become more focused on communicating their mission and vision — and showing off the human side of the organization, overall.
Decathlon’s ecommerce efforts continue to evolve here, as well.
For one, customers have a number of options as far as browsing the product catalogue. In addition to laser-focused filtering options, Decathlon also categorizes products by use case and intensity — allowing customers to find the product that best fits their needs.
Individual product pages are more informative and helpful than ever before — with some including answers to frequently asked questions.
Overall, there’s no doubt that this is the best version of Decathlon’s website so far. In tracing the evolution of the site as a whole, the team has tweaked each and every element to near-perfection — and continues to add more value to the experience as time goes on.
Decathlon.com Today: Polishing to Perfection
Over the last three years, Decathlon’s website hasn’t changed all that much.
There really has been no need to make any drastic changes.
Really, what we’re seeing is Decathlon adding to their site in multiple ways without reinventing the wheel in the slightest. The team seems to have figured out how to best present their products, content, and overall digital experience — and are now focused almost entirely on polishing it all to perfection.
That said, it’s worth noting how heavily invested Decathlon continues to be when it comes to community and global.
On the heels of the pandemic, social and political unrest, labor and workforce issues (and a whole lot more), Decathlon aims to keep its mission and vision in clear focus — and to communicate to its audience just how dedicated the team is to providing authentic value to the world.
As we said at the start, Decathlon’s ecommerce performance has skyrocketed in the past two years — with nearly 20% of revenues coming from digital sales. While the pandemic obviously had a lot to do with it, Decathlon will almost certainly continue to keep their online presence In clear focus.