商务英语-迪卡侬在中国的市场营销策略分析

摘要

体育和健身运动诉求也在出现爆发式的增长，作为体育产业重要子行业之一

的国内体育用品行业亦因此迎来急剧裂变。

迪卡侬公司在进驻中国这十几年来，发展速度迅猛，公司效益不断提高，化

中国体育零售行业占有一席之地。本文以迪卡侬运动公司为研究对象，先从宏观、

微观和行业三个角度走迪卡侬所处的体育用品行业进行环境分析。了解辿卡侬在

当前环境下所存在的机会和面临的挑战，提出有效的应对措施以及发展建议。此

外，迪卡侬在中国体育用品市场发展迅速，极具潜力。迪卡侬营销模式就是：自

有中低端品牌为主，外来高端品牌为辅；伴随着•系列对体育产业及赛事的指导

意见陆续出台及逐步落地，我国大众专业化、大众化、超市化零售业态；对渠道

的全程掌控；极具优势和特色的体验营销和独特的品牌营销。其中对渠道的全程

掌控是迪卡侬营销模式中最独特和最具竞争力的部分。

迪卡侬独特的营销模式，对中国体育用品零售业有一定的借鉴意义。本文旨

在通过对迪卡侬营销策略分析，对迪卡侬的目标市场进行细分，对迪卡侬进行重

新定位。通过运用营销组合策略，针对迪卡侬现阶段存在的一些不足，提供营销

策略方面的有效意见。

关键词：迪卡侬；体育用品零售业；SWOT分析；营销战略

ABSTRACT

Withtheintroductionandgraduallandingofaseriesofguidanceforsports

industryandevents,thedemandsofmasssportsandfitnesssportsinChinaarealso

growingrapidly,andthedomesticsportsgoodsindustry,asoneoftheimportantsub­

industriesofsportsindustry,isalsofacingasharpfission.

Inthepasttenyears,decathlonhasbeendevelopingrapidlyinChina,andthe

company'sefficiencyhasbeenimprovingcontinuously,decathlonhasaplaceinthe

sportsretailindustryinChina.Inthispaper,decathlonSportsCompanyastheresearch

object,firstfromthemacro,microandindustryperspectiveDecathlonsportsgoods

industryintheenvironmentanalysis.Understandtheopportunitiesandchallengesof

decathloninthecurrentenvironment,andputforwardeffectivecountermeasuresand

developmentproposals.Inaddition,decathlonisdevelopingrapidlyintheChinese

sportinggoodsmarketandhasgreatpotential.Decathlonmarketingmodelis:self­

ownedmiddleandlow-endbrands,supplementedbyforeignhigh-endbrands;

professional,popular,supermarket-basedretailformats;fullcontrolofchannels;

experiencemarketingwithgreatadvantagesandcharacteristicsanduniquebrand

marketing.Thewholeprocesscontrolofthechannelisthemostuniqueandcompetitive

partofdecathlonmarketingmodel.

decathlon'suniquemarketingmodelcanbeusedforreferenceinChina'ssports

retailindubtiy.Thepuiposcofihispaperislusubdividethelaigclinaikclofdccalhlou

andrepositiondecathlonthroughtheanalysisofitsmarketingstrategy.Throughtheuse

ofmarketingmixstrategy,inviewofsomedeficienciesofdecathlonatthisstage,

provideeffectivesuggestionsonmarketingstrategy.

Keywords:Decathlon；SportsRetail,；SWOTAnalysis；MarketingStrategy

TableofContents

ChapterOneIntroduction1

1.1Backgroundandsignificanceofthetopic1

1.2Researchstatusathomeandabroad2

ChapterTwoDecathlonSWOTanalysis.3

2.1Advantages3

2.2Disadvantages3

2.3Opportunities4

2.4Threats4

ChapterThreeDecathlon'stargetmarketstrategy6

3.1MarketSegmentation6

3.2TargetMarketSelection6

3.3MarketPositioning7

ChapterFourFour-Pcombinationmarketingstrategy8

4.1Four-Pcombinationstrategy8

4.1.1ProductStrategy8

4.1.2PriceStrategy8

4.1.3Channelstrategy9

4.1.4PromotionStrategy9

4.2Existingproblems10

4.2.1Singleproductdesign10

4.2.2Thelowpriceoftheproducthasagreatimpact1()

4.2.3Thelocationofthestoreisremote11

4.2.4Productlosscausedbyexperientialmarketing11

4.2.5Lowproductvisibility12

ChapterFiveDecathlonmarketingstrategyadviceandsafeguardmeasures.^..13

5.1Payattentiontoproductdesigninnovation13

5.2Strengthenadvertisingandhighlightpriceadvantages13

5.3Expandsaleschannels15

5.4Adoptadvancedmanagementmethods15

5.5Optimizeenterprisetalentdevelopment16

in

ChapterSixConclusion...18

Bibliography19

Acknowledgements

IV

ChapterOneIntroduction

1.1Backgroundandsignificanceofthetopic

Inrecentyears,withthecontinuousdevelopmentoftheeconomy,thepeople's

livingstandardshavebeencontinuouslyimproved,moreandmoreleisuretime,more

andmoreattentiontohealth,andmoreandmoreconsumptioninsports,sothatChina's

sportsindustryhasachievedunprecedenteddevelopment.Underthecircumstancethat

thedevelopmentofChina'ssportinggoodsmarketisintheascendant,AdidasandNike,

whichrepresentinternationalfirst-tierbrands,havemadeeffortstovigorouslyexpand

thesecond-andthird-tiermarketswhilestrengtheningtheadvantagesoffirst-tiercities.

DomesticsportsbrandsledbyLiNing,Antaand361degreeshavealsotriedtocarry

outbrandpromotionbyestablishinganewimage.Internationally,theEuropean

sportinggoodsmarketontheothersideoftheworldisdominatedbymulti-brandand

multi-categorysportsconcentrationstores,supplementedbysingle-brandspecialty

stores.Inthissituation,thedealercontrolstheterminalandhasstrongbargainingpower

overthebrand.Insharpcontrast,themarketingmodelofdomesticsingle-brand

specialtystoreshaslimitedchannelcoverageandimperfectproductsandservicesdue

tohighoperatingcosts,highcommoditypricing,largeconstraintsbybrandowners,and

weakbargainingpower.Inthiscase,since2003,DecathlonSportsSupermarket,a

sportinggoodssupermarketfromFrance,aFortune500company,hasbeenlow-

commissioningwaterinChina.InNovember2000,thefirstDecathlonsports

professionalshoppingmallwasopenedinPudong,Shanghai,anduptonow,thereare

54large-scaleDecathlonsportsprofessionalsupermarketsinShanghai,Beijing,Tianjin,

Nanjing,Guangzhou,Shenyangandothercities.AlmosteverywhereDecathlongoes,

itwillbringahugeimpacttothelocalsportinggoodsmarket,anditsrapidexpansion

intheChinesemarket,inadditiontobenefitingfromtherapidgrowthofmasssports

andfitnessdemand,asanewmarketingmodelinChina'ssportinggoodsmarket,must

haveitsownuniqueness.Nowadays,underthesituationofsloweconomicgrowthof

therealeconomy,Decathlon'smarketingmodelofitsdistinctivesportsproducts

supermarketprovidessupportforthewholeindustiychaincontrolledbyDecathlon

itselfandthedevelopmentpathofDecathlon.Inthiscontext,asaforeignsporting

goodsretailer.Decathlonmusthaveauniquemodelandstrategytosuccessfullytake

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rootanddevelopinChina,andwhataretheuniquefeaturesandhowtobetterlayout

anddevelopinthenextstepareworthyofdeeperthinkingandexploration

1.2Researchstatusathomeandabroad

WangBenbenandMaHuistudiedtheinfluenceofDecathlonsportssupermarket

shoppingexperienceonpurchaseintentionin2017.In2015,ZhangDianjunconducted

researchonthechainoperationmodeofspecialtystoresofdomesticsportinggoods

brand-nameenterprises,analyzedtheadvantagesanddisadvantages,andputforward

suggestionssuchasmergers,listings,asset-lightoperations,andincreasedresearchand

development.In2014,ZhangLiofShanghaiInstituteofSporttookDecathlonSports

ProfessionalSupermarketastheresearchobject,analyzedDecathlon'smarketingmodel

andfourelementsofmarketingthroughliteraturemethod,questionnairesurveymethod,

fieldinvestigationmethodandothermethods,focusingonanalyzingthecontent,

methodsandprocessesofitsexperientialmarketingmodel,derivedtheadvantagesof

itsmarketingmodel,andcompareditwithothersportinggoodscompaniesinChina

fromtheperspectiveofretailform.LiYing(2017)ofBeijingSportUniversityanalyzes

themacromarketingenvironmentofDecathlon(Beijing)fromsixaspects:politics,

economy,society,technology,educationandpopulationbasedonmarketingtheory.The

micro-marketingenvironmentofDecathlon(Beijing)wasanalyzedfromthreeaspects:

suppliers,buyersandcompetitors.TheSWOTmatrixwasusedtoanalyzethe

advantages,disadvantages,opportunitiesandchallengesofDecalhlon(Beijing).Based

onthe4Ptheory,experientialmarketingtheory,word-of-mouthmarketingtheoryand

targetmarketstrategytheory,themarketingstrategyofDecathlonCompany(Beijing)

wasanalyzed,andTongGuoliang(2018)conductedresearchonDecathlonCompany

inFranceinviewoftheincreasingdemandforvarioussportsequipment,andstudied

howDecathlonasasportsgoodscompanythatsawthisdemandearlierandenteredthe

Chinesemarketfurtherinnovatedandchangedinthecontextofnewretail,requiring

brandpromotion,productprofessionalism,andproductupgrading.Moreadaptedtothe

characteristicsandneedsofChineseconsumers.

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ChapterTwoDecathlonSWOTanalysis

2.1Advantages

Comparedwithpeers,costperformanceisDecathlon'strumpcard,comparedwith

Adinike'shigh-endenterprises,Decathloncanmaintainqualityandhigh-tech

performancewhileensuringultra-lowpricestothemarket;Comparedwiththoselow-

endstoreproductsonTaobao,Decathlonwinswithhighqualityandoutstandingbrands.

Theprice-performanceratiogivesDecathlonthebiggestadvantage.Decathlon'sdaily

warehousetransfersareoutofslockandprovidebetterservicetocustomers.Another

pointisthatDecathlonisdifferentfromothercompaniesonlycontainstwoorthree

sportsorasinglekindofsportsgoods,Decathloncanbesaidtobeanabsolute

advantageinthetypeofsports,itcoversmorethan8()sportsequipmentsupplies,but

alsodistinguishesgenderandage,canbemultiplechoices,cateringtotheneedsof

variouscustomers.Decathlonadoptsauniqueretailformofprofessionalwarehouse

membershipstore,thewarehouseisthestorefront,andtheconsumeristreatedbyin­

depthexperiencemarketing.AtDecathlon,mostoftheproductscanbetried,including

clothes,shoes,balls,scooters,bicyclesandmore.InDecathlon'swideaisle,itiseasy

toseechildrenplayingbicycles,youngpeopleusingscooters,adultsusingballgames,

etc.Inaddition,almosteveryDecathlonsportssupermarketwillbeequippedwithan

open-airsportsfield.

2.2Disadvantages

DecathlonSportsSupermarket'sstoresizedictatedthatitcouldnotopeninahigh-

trafficareaofthecitycenter.Thevalueoflandinurbancorebusinessdistrictsistoo

high,andifDecathlonisopenedinthecorebusinessdistrict,theoperatingcostsof

Decathlonwillrisesharply,resultinginoperationaldifficulties.Therefore,Decathlon

canonlychoosetoopensportssupermarketsinsecondarybusinessdistrictsanddensely

populatedsuburbanlocations,butsecondarygoodsandsuburbantrafficdeterminethat

3

Decathlon'scustomerbaseisreducedtoacertainextent.Thelowpricesacrificed

Decathlon'sadvertising.Decathlonisthekindofseriouswork,wholeheartedlyserve

customersoftheenterprise,DecathlonneverdoesTVadvertising,anditspriceistoo

lowtobefamousforluxurygoods,soitspopularityisrelativelylow,customer

recognitionislow.ThereisalsoDecathlonthatusesEuropeanyardage,anditsyardage

rangedoesnotcoveracertainnumberofpeopleinothercountries.

2.3Opportunities

Withthedevelopmentofe-commerceinrecentyears,Decathlon'se-commcrce

businesshasalsocontinuedtogrow,andthevariousadvantagesofthee-commerce

businesshavealsocateredtoDecathlon'sstoreshortcomingsandpriceadvantages

(DecathlonhasbecomeasalesgiantinthesportsindustryonChina'sTmallwebsite).

Therisingeconomiesofdevelopingcountriesaroundtheworld,theincreaseinper

capitadisposableincomeandtheslowingfbcusonphysicalexerciseareallstimulating

thesportinggoodsindustry.Decathlon,knownasUniqlo'ssportsversion,thepractical

leaderofthesportinggoodsindustry,withthedevelopmentofDecathlon'sstore

development,serviceimprovementandqualityassurance,Decathlonoccupiesagiant

positioninthelow-endmarketandevenhigh-endmarketinthesponinggoodsindustry.

Inaddition,withthepopularizationofnationalsportsandtheliberalizationofthetwo-

childpolicy,alargenumberofnewgenerationswillenterthefieldofsports.InChina,

withtheconceptofnationalsportsandthepromotionofslogans,thepublichasbegun

totryavarietyofdifferentsportsactivities,andtheentry-levelproductsrequiredfor

sportsactivitieshappentobethemaindirectionofDecathlon.Atthesametime,with

theopeningofthenationaltwo-childpolicy,thefirstbatchofchildrenwillorhave

reachedtheagelevelofparticipatinginsports,Decathlonisoneofthemainresearch

anddevelopmentdirectionsforthedevelopmentofchildren'sproducts,sothe

popularityofthechildren'ssportsmarketisalsooneofDecathlon'sopportunities.

2.4Threats

4

Theloyalcustomersofhigh-endbrandshaveanegativeideaofthemiddleand

lowend,andthethinkingofhigh-endcustomersisfixedon"highpricetohavehigh

quality",Decathlon'scustomersmaystepintothisgroup,therebyreducingmarketshare;

Thedevelopmentoflov/-cndbrands(suchasLiNingAnta)hasseizedmarketshare

anddividedthecakemoreseriously;Asanexternalbrand,localcustomersresistideas.

Thepowerfulimpactofdomesticfirst-linesporting}>oods.Withthesuccessfulholding

oftheOlympicGamesandthesuccessfulbidfortheWinterOlympics,thedomestic

sportsboomhasreachedapeakstate,China'ssportinggoodsconsumptionhas

increasedyearbyyear,anddomesticfirst-linebrandshavecontinuedtogrowwhile

eachbrandhasdoneitshomeworkonthemarket.ForthelatecomerDecathlon,itlacks

effectivebrandbuildingandbrandinfluence,andhigh-endproductscannotopenupthe

Chinesemarket,andcanonlyturntolow-endorevenlow-endentry-levelproducts.

Publicityadvantagesofdomesticsecond-tierandthird-tiersportinggoods.Inaddition

tothethreatofdomesticfirst-tierbrands,theimpactofdomesticsecond-andthird-tier

productsonDecathlon'slow-endproductsisinevitable.AsDecathloncanenterthe

marketintermsofprice,butpeoplewillbemoreinclinedtothesecond-andthird-tier

productstheyhaveheardaboutonthebasisofnotunderstanding,thepublicity

advantageofdomesticbrandsisalsoamajorthreattoDecathlontoopentheroadto

China'ssportsproducts.

5

ChapterThreeDecathlon'stargetmarketstrategy

3.1MarketSegmentation

Intermsofmarketsegmentationbasedonsportsgenre,Decathlonhasachieved

truecomprehensivenesscomparedtoothersportsbrands,andhascomprehensively

presenteditssegmentationcriteriatoallconsumerswithpotentialneeds.Itisnot

difficulttoseeonDecathlon'sofficialwebsite,allsubdivisionsareprominentlyplaced

ontheleftsideofthehomepageofthewebsite,suchaswildernessadventure,outdoor

mountainsports,fitnesssports,running,cycling,targetsports(archery,darts),

badmintonnets,teamsports(football,basketball,volleyball),swimming,walking

sports,divingrelated,surfing,rollerskating,golf,rockclimbing,equestrian,fishing,

etc.,andtherearesubdivisionsundereachcategory.Decathlonsportstype

segmentationismorecomprehensive,adoptingameticulousdifferentiationand

comprehensivedevelopmentstrategy,thebiggestadvantageofwhichisthatDecathlon

productscanbemoreefficientandmoreaccuratematchingwithconsumerswith

specificneeds.Inthisway,therightsupplyanddemandrationotonlyreducesthetime

lagofconsumersfromunderstandingtheirownneedstoobtainingproductsthatmeet

theirneeds,makingconsumers'purchasingbehaviormoreefficient,butalsooptimizes

Decathlon'sproductline,sothatDecathlonsportssupermarketshaveobtainedthemost

indicativeclassificationofvarioussportinggoods.Eachcategoryrepresentsa

segmentedmarket,Decathlonthroughdifferentsportsdifferentiation,maximize

differences,minimizesimilarity,get80sub-marketclassifications,maximizethemost

comprehensivedisplayofitsownproducts,inthepromotionandsatisfactionof

consumershasunparalleledadvantages.

3.2TargetMarketSelection

Intermsoftheselectionoftargetmarkets,Decathlonhaschosenahighly

6

diversifiedandlow-costsportinggoodsmarket,coveringallsportstypesandallage

groups,thatis,thegeneralpublicandprimarysportinggoodsconsumerswhoare

generallymoreprice-sensitiveasitstargetcustomers.

Mainlybecauseinthehigh-endmarket,Adi,Nike,UnderArmourthrcc-lcggcd,

completeproductline,especiallyrepresentedbyAdi,Nike,prominentpositionin

China'ssportinggoodsmarket,brandimagedeeplyrootedintheheartsofthepeople,

therefore,Decathlonavoidsstrongcompetitorsinthehigh-endmarket,avoidsthe

competitivecosts(pricewar,publicitywar,etc.),seesitsowncompetitiveadvantagein

thelow-endmarket,andentersthelow-endproductmarketwithitsunique"sports

supermarket"salesmodelbymaintainingthecharacteristicsofhighcostperformance.

Aimingattheconsumersofprimarysportsproducts,wehavefullypopularizedpopular

andunpopularsportsproductsandexertedourcompetitiveadvantages,andsincethe

openingofstoresinShanghaiin2003,underthehighpressureofcompetitionfrom

manydomesticbrands,wehavesuccessfullydeployedinmostregionsofChina.

3.3MarketPositioning

Decathlonhaschosenahighlydiversifiedandlow-pricedsportinggoodsmarket

coveringallsportstypesandagegroups,targetingthegeneralpublicandprimary

sportinggoodsconsumers,whoaregenerallymoreprice-sensitive.Lowpriceunderthe

premiseofqualityassuranceisDecathlon'scorecompetitiveadvantage,anditisalso

IheimagethatDecathlonwantstoestablishinthemindsofconsumers.Withits

competitorsraisingthepriceofitsproductsinthetideofpriceincreases,suchasPeak,

Xtepandotherdomesticbrands,Decathlonhasmaintainedalow-pricestrategy.After

all,forprimaryconsumers,thepriceofsportsproductsisthefirstfactortheyconsider,

andthispricingmethodhasestablishedafirstimageinthemindsofconsumers,and

Decathlon'slow-pricestrategymakesitsmarketpositioningveryclear,whichis

conducivetothefurtherexpansionofcompetitiveadvantage.DecathlonCompany

(China)haswonthefavorofconsumerswithprimarysportsneedswithitslowprice

andaccuratepositioningofallcategories,andopenedupabroadmarket.

7

ChapterFourFour-Pcombinationmarketingstrategy

4.1Four-Pcombinationstrategy

4.1.1ProductStrategy

Decathlon'sproductstargetaverywideaudience,frominfantstoadults,youcan

findsuitableproductstorconsumersunderdifferentDecathlonbrands.Thevarietyof

productsisveryrich,notonlyrunning,badminton,mountaineeringsportsthatareoften

contactedbythepublic,suchasrelativelynicheequestrian,rockclimbing,squashand

othersportsgoodscanalsobefoundinDecathlon.Theproductitselfisalsoveryhigh-

tech,suchaSNovadry(waterproof)technology,whichisoftenusedinmountaineeringproducts,

andSupportive,whichisoftenusedinrunningshoes(Support)technologyandsoon,

thesetechnologiesareDecathlon'sowndevelopedtechnology,andcanalsocompete

withsimilartechnologiesofsomehigh-endbrands.Comparedwithotherbrands,avery

characteristicpartisitspackaging,environmentallyfriendlyDecathlondoesnot

provideuniformpackagingforeveryproduct,suchasshoes,anddoesnotprovideshoe

boxeswhenconsumersbuy.Theywillputallthemodelsofthesameproductonthe

shelves,notleavinggoodsinthebackwarehouse,whichisthatcustomershavefull

choicewhilereducingtheprobabilityofusingmanualservices,sothatcustomerscan

experiencethesupermarket-orientedsalesmodel.

4.1.2PriceStrategy

OneofthemajorfeaturesthatDecathloncanattractcustomersisthepriceofthe

product,allitsownbrandpositioningisbasicallysetatthelowendofsimilarproducts,

andatthesametimeintroducesomeforeignbrands,theseforeignbrandsarehigher

thanthepriceofothershoppingmalls,inordertohighlightthecost-effective

characteristicsofitsov/nbrand.Atthesametime,inadditiontostoremanagers,

managersandsportsambassadors(full-time),nearly80%ofthestaffinDecathlonstores

arepart-timeemployees,whichgreatlyreduceslaborcosts.

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4.1.3Channelstrategy

Intermsofonlinechannels,Decathlon'sexistingonlinechannelsfocuson

Decathlon'sofficialwebsiteandDecathlonTmallflagshipstore,aimingtogeneratee-

commerceeffectsinordertointegratewiththeInternet.Butinfact,productsaleson

onlineplatformscanonlybeusedasasupplementtoofflineplatforms.Atthesame

time,DecathlonhaspaidmuchlessattentiontosocialplatformssuchasWeiboand

WeChat.Allinall,Decathlon'spositioningofitsonlinechannelsisnotclear,resulting

inonlinechannelsnotplayingtheirduerole.

Intermsofofflinechannels,Decathlon'sexistingofflinechannelshavedeveloped

verywell,mainlyfocusingonexperiential,professional,andhigh-priceratioforoffline

transactions.ThefirstDecathlonexperiencestoreinPudong,Shanghai,attractedthe

attentionofmanycustomersassoonasitopened,andthevariousnewequipmentinside

gavecustomersagoodsenseofexperience;Decathlonsportssupermarketslocatedall

overthecountryalsoprovideexcellentservicetocustomers.Asaresult,Decathlon's

customerrepurchaserateremainshuge,butthecustomerexpansionratehasbeenlow

andbrandawarenessisnothigh.Althoughofflinechannelshavebeenholdingvarious

activitiestodevelopnewcustomergroups,theeffectisnotgoodduetothepublicity

liniilalionsufphysicalchannels.

4.1.4PromotionStrategy

Decathlonitselfonlyadvertisesthroughsmall-scalecommunityadvertisements,

etc.,anddoesnotappearlarge-scaleTVorradioadvertisements,etc.,because

Decathlon'stargetcustomersare5-10kmaroundthestoreofresidents.EachDecathlon

salesassistantwillcarryoutpreliminarytraining,theyneedtounderstandtherelevant

knowledgeoftheproducttointroducetocustomers,andmostofthemthemselveslove

sports,servecustomersatthesametime,butalsospreadaconceptofsportsto

customers.Decathlonhassetupamembershipmechanismtoinformcustomersofthe

latestnewsthroughemailandSMS,andcanalsogivemembersbenefits.Decathlon

willholdoccasionalbrandactivities,suchasrollerskatingandbasketballgames,etc.,

topromoteeachsportanddrivesales.Decathlonstaffwillactivelyparticipateinthe

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city'ssportsprogramsorcompetitionsonbehalfofDecathlon,whereDecathlonwill

promoteitssportsmanship.

4.2Existingproblems

4.2.1Singleproductdesign

ThereisnodenyingthediversityandrichnessofDecathlon'sproducts.With65

sportsandmorethan35,000products,coveringcycling,diving,swimming,basketball,

football,badminton,golf,mountaineeringandothersportsthatChineseconsumers

encounter,customerscanbasicallyfindthesportinggoodstheyneedinaDecathlon

sportsstore.Productsrangeinagefrom4-month-oldbabiestoadults,allowing

customersofdifferentagestopurchaseproductsthatsuitthem.

Decathlon'sproductsalsohavesomeshortcomings.AsaFrenchcompany,the

productsaredesignedforwhileEuropeans.ButwithDecathlon'sentryintotheChinese

market,suchadesignisnolongersuitable.Forexample,Europeansgenerallyhave

highernosesthanChinese,sosunglassesarcdesignedsothatChinesecustomerscan't

wearthem.Decathlonsv/eatpantsaregenerallyonthelongside,suitablefortheslender

bodyofEuropeans,butmostChinesecustomerssaythatthecuffsaretoolong.

Moreover,thecolorofclothesismainlyconcentratedindarkcolorssuchasgrayand

black.SomestudieshaveshownthatChineseacceptanceofcolorisbiasedtowardsrich

colors.Inaddition,thelogoandintroductionoftheproductareallinEnglishandFrench,

andChineseconsumersdonothavemuchpopularityofEnglishandFrench,especially

theelderlycustomers,whodonotunderstandthelogointheproduct.Aftermost

companiesenterChina,theirproductshaveaddedsomeelementsofChineseculture,

andDecathlonstilllackshere.

4.2.2Thelowpriceoftheproducthasagreatimpact

Decathlon'spricingstrategy.Decathlon'spricepositioningisgenerallylowerthan

thatofsimilarindustryproducts.Forexample,Decathloncostsonly99yuanforapairof

basketballshoes,andapairofNikebasketballshoescosts400yuan.Decathlonfirmly

10

implementsalow-pricestrategy.Decathlonusesthesimplestformofpackaging,not

onlyforenvironmentalreasons,butalsoduetoreducedpackagingcosts.Decathlon's

sneakers,forexample,areallunboxed.Decathlonadoptsthe^self-consumption'*modcL

80%ofcustomerscancompletetheshoppingprocess,and20%ofcustomersneedthe

helpofsalespeople.Andmainlyhirepart-timesalespersonnel,reducepersonnelcosts,

therebyreducingproductprices.However,Decathlon'sownproductsarcunderthesignof

lowprices,andthepriceofforeignproductssuchasNIKEbasketballshoesishigherthanihesales

priceofNIKEbasketballshoesinotherplacessuchastheFriendshipShoppingCenter,

whichwillseriouslyaffectIhelowpriceimageofDecathlon.Moreover,thelowprice

willaffectthequalityoftheproducttoacertainextent,whichisalsowhatDecathlon

needstopayattentionto.Duetothelow-pricestrategy,Decathlondoesnotadvertise,

triesnottodoanypublicity,onlyreliesonwordofmonth,andthepopularityis

relativelylow,whichisalsowhereDecathlonneedstomeasure.

4.2.3Thelocationofthestoreisremote

Decathlonislocatedinaremotesuburbbuthasexcellenttransportationsystems

suchasmetroandbuses.Andthereisalargeenoughparkinglotforcustomerstospend.

Inaddition,Decathlonisequippedwithfreesportsfacilities,suchasbasketballcourts,

whichcustomerscanuseforfreewhilespending.Decathlonslocationinremote

suburbsismainlyforalow-pricestrategy.Butthesameproblemisthesame,evenif

thelocationhasaconvenienttransportationsystem,itisalsotheprinciplethatthe

businessdistrictisf