Marketplace drives online growth for Decathlon

Globally, Decathlon achieved a revenue of 16.2 billion euros last year. Adjusted for inflation, this represents a 3.8 percent increase compared to the previous year.

Online revenue

Digital sales are becoming increasingly important for the French sporting goods retailer. Last year, 20 percent of its global revenue came from online sales, including ecommerce, in-store connected orders, and marketplaces – up from 17 percent in 2023. In Germany, however, the online share is significantly higher.

In its reports, Decathlon also emphasizes its focus on the importance of the planet and people. Despite sales growth, the company reduced its CO2 emissions last year. Additionally, it continues to employ more people, now with staff from 87 different nationalities. The proportion of women in the workforce has also increased.

Omnichannel strategy and marketplace

In a separate report on Germany, Decathlon attributes its positive revenue development to “the consistent implementation of its omnichannel strategy, which seamlessly integrates the digital and physical shopping experience”. The company also highlights “the remarkable development of the online marketplace”, which accounted for 20 percent of digital sales last year. For comparison: in 2023, this was 11 percent, and in 2022, just 7 percent.

Given that Decathlon’s German marketplace has not been active for very long, its rapid growth is not surprising. However, platform sales are exceeding expectations. It has become a catalyst for further profitable online growth, much like what has been seen with online marketplaces of MediaMarkt, Zalando and Otto.

Used sporting goods

Decathlon launched its marketplace for sellers in Belgium at the end of 2020, later expanding to the United Kingdom and other European countries, including Germany. Since last spring, selling partners have also been able to offer used sporting goods on Decathlon.de.

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