Decathlon revolutionizes customer engagement

WHAT IS THE KIPSTA BARRIO PROJECT?

In 2022, sports giant Decathlon launched an innovative program based on NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) technology. NFTs are unique digital assets using blockchain technology. This means that anyone can verify the authenticity of NFTs thanks to the blockchain, which is a kind of ledger where every transaction is recorded and identifiable, ensuring authenticity and traceability. This opens up the possibility of selling and exchanging NFTs with others. But how can you recover your NFT ? Create (or connect to) a crypto-currency wallet, access your Decathlon NFT locker room, recover your NFTs after entering your Decathlon NFT code, and enjoy exclusive experiences.

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The Kipsta Barrio project was developed in collaboration with Sean Garnier, a world champion and three-time French freestyle soccer champion. Each shoe of the collection is associated with a NFT in the form of a "golden ticket" (10’000 in total), representing a unique soccer tip from the world champion and giving access to personalized and exclusive experiences with him. Among other things, NFT holders can take part in online soccer challenges organized by Sean Garnier and Kipsta, and win prizes such as soccer shirts, signed balls and unique experiences.

As Valentin Auvinet, NFT leader at Decathlon, explains: "Our aim is to create a unique experience for our customers. With NFTs, we can offer video lives, 3D object viewing, product co-creation, behind-the-scenes discovery and more. We've even created an official Discord to facilitate communication with our customers."

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This gamified digital experience allows Decathlon to interact with a younger community and to have a presence in other universes thanks to the interoperability of NFTs: a new dimension of customer loyalty enabling audience sharing between brands. Users are therefore no longer faced with the challenge of tracking their various benefits across a multitude of disparate loyalty platforms and channels. Rewards are no longer confined to closed private gardens created by each brand, opening up a whole new realm of possibilities in the creation of collaboration between brands. A unique opportunity to create broader ecosystems, and to stand up to the engagement programs of retail behemoths.

BUT WHY SUCH AN INNOVATION?

Decathlon, a global leader in the sports industry, is ushering in a new era of customer engagement by adopting NFT - as point-based programs are no longer enough to retain customers in the long term, lacking dynamism, personalization, and relevance for each individual customer. This bold initiative reflects the company's desire to get closer to its customers and offer them exceptional, innovative experiences.

These unique digital assets enable Decathlon to forge deeper links with its customers :

• By transforming consumers into true product co-creators, Decathlon increases their sense of belonging tenfold and creates an unrivalled shopping experience.
• By offering privileged access to a world of exclusive benefits, such as special discounts, early access to product launches and VIP invitations to exclusive events, Decathlon fosters a personalized and memorable experience for its customers.

This innovative approach to customer loyalty, now focused on the relationship rather than the transaction, establishes a closer bond between Decathlon and its customers. In addition, the adoption of digital assets offers considerable potential for boosting customer confidence and revolutionizing the way we interact with physical products in an increasingly digital world.

A SUCCESSFUL SMART LOYALTY INITIATIVE

The Kipsta Barrio project was a real success: all the shoes were sold out in less than 48 hours, and over 70% of NFT owners took part at least once in one of the votes proposed by Decathlon.

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Valentin Auvinet emphasizes: "We have 1,200 users out of 2008 who have made the effort to collect NFTs. In terms of engagement rates, there's no contest: we would never have seen this level of engagement on another channel, such as email."

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Decathlon has also launched other digital asset projects, such as Rockrider and Kalenji X Temalapaire, which also offer unique experiences to their holders. These initiatives demonstrate Decathlon's determination to continue innovating and getting closer to its customers through modern engagement initiatives.

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In this way, Decathlon is becoming a role model in terms of customer engagement. In addition to its Decat'Club program, Decathlon uses smart loyalty campaigns to engage consumers in a new way. They have, in fact, grasped the turning point that is taking place in the loyalty market and succeeded in building emotional relationships with its customers, creating a strong brand community and establishing itself as one of France's leading "love brands".

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A SMART LOYALTY INNOVATION WITHIN YOUR REACH TOO

At Cohort, we help CRM and Loyalty teams augment their existing loyalty tools with modern engagement and loyalty experiences.

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Our Smart Loyalty platform offers many innovative mechanisms including this NFT feature without any technical constraints for teams. Brands can share digital assets in the form of NFTs as rewards without the need to equip customers with crypto wallets. All of this is built through an intuitive experience builder and delivered through a fully personalized user interface. In a few clicks, with no IT required, Cohort empowers CRM & Loyalty managers to reward customer engagement beyond transactions, to deliver higher AOV and LTV.

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