Recent developments in consumer behaviour and the intensity of competition from electronic sales mean that DECATHLON needs to review its sales and marketing strategies.
Players on the sports goods market must innovate in order to persuade customers to visit their sales outlets, make their purchases there and come back regularly.
In short, DECATHLON must make best use of its physical ('bricks and mortar') stores to create a relationship with its clients, and thus reinforce their loyalty to the store, and even their commitment to the brand.
One of the opportunities for development lies in optimizing DECATHLON's business package available to clients, via improvements in services.
The DECATHLON company calls upon your services as a marketing consultant. Senior management would like you to submit to them, in the shortest possible time:
1. your diagnosis, or critical analysis, of the brand DECATHLON in terms of the trends in its environment (macro environment, direct and indirect competition, and analysis of demand),
2. your recommendations as to the strategic directions they should follow, and
3. your marketing action plan, which must be realistic, specific and detailed. It must also be financed, in ways which are appropriate to the proposed new orientations, and geared towards developing the range of services which DECATHLON makes available to its customers.
The case itself comes complete with teaching notes, and a comprehensive analysis, in powerpoint format, which gives
- recommendations as to how to approach the issues faced in the students' task,
- references to the basics of corporate strategy, marketing, especially the marketing of services, and
- suggestions for an oral presentation of the results.
Finally the pack contains a DVD made by the DECATHLON (OXYLANE) company, outlining the future objectives and strategy of the company (Company Project 2019).