Decathlon has always been at the forefront of loyalty and customer engagement programs, thanks in particular to the Decat'Club. This loyalty program offers innovative solutions for earning and using rewards. Customers can accumulate points for every sports session, purchase, eco-responsible action or review submitted, and these points can be exchanged for sports sessions or donations to associations. But in 2022, Decathlon has also embarked on Web3, with its Kipsta Barrio project, to engage its customers in a new way. Our analysis.
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.
This program, dubbed "Kipsta Barrio", offers a host of advantages to its users. 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."
Recently, the Kipsta Barrio has become accessible in the Metaverse called The Sandbox. The metaverse of "The Sandbox" is a 3D virtual universe where users can create, play and own unique experiences, games and objects using NFTs, offering an interactive digital and social ecosystem.
What is NFT interoperability? Web3 technology introduces a significant innovation to the customer engagement sector — interoperability. This new dimension of customer loyalty enables audience sharing between brands and/or their partners. Users are therefore no longer faced with the challenge of tracking their various benefits across a multitude of disparate loyalty platforms and channels. As a result, 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 behemoths like Amazon.
But how does it work in practice?
The first NFT project launched by Decathlon is the Kipsta Barrio project, developed in collaboration with Sean Garnier, a world champion and three-time French freestyle soccer champion. Each shoe is associated with an NFT in the form of a "golden ticket", giving access to personalized and exclusive experiences with the world champion. The collection consists of 10,000 NFTs, each representing a unique soccer tip from Sean Garnier. 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.
The NFT recovery process:
- 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.
But why such an innovation?
Decathlon, a global leader in the sports industry, is ushering in a new era of customer engagement by adopting non-fungible tokens (NFT). This bold initiative reflects the company's desire to get closer to its customers and offer them exceptional, innovative experiences, while exploring the captivating benefits of blockchain technology.
At the heart of this revolution are NFTs. These unique digital assets enable Décathlon to forge deeper links with its customers. For example, by giving customers with NFTs the opportunity to actively participate in the design of sporting goods, Décathlon strengthens their sense of belonging and creates an unrivalled shopping experience. By transforming consumers into true product co-creators, Decathlon increases their sense of belonging tenfold.
However, the benefits of NFTs don't stop at simple co-creation. Decathlon has cleverly seized the opportunity to strengthen customer loyalty by also rewarding their long-term commitment. Holders of NFTs are offered privileged access to a world of exclusive benefits, such as special discounts, early access to product launches and VIP invitations to exclusive events. This innovative approach to customer loyalty, now focused on the relationship rather than the transaction, establishes a closer bond between Decathlon and its customers, by fostering a personalized and memorable customer experience.
In addition, the adoption of NFTs serves as a springboard for an exciting exploration of blockchain technology. This advance offers Decathlon the opportunity to experiment with the power of blockchain to connect physical products with vibrant online communities. NFTs make it possible to track the origin and authenticity of products, while offering customers transparent traceability. This technology offers considerable potential for boosting customer confidence and revolutionizing the way we interact with physical products in an increasingly digital world.
What have been the successes of Decathlon?
The success of Decathlon's NFT program is undeniable. 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.
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."
Decathlon has also launched other NFT 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 NFT technology.
In this way, Decathlon is becoming a role model in the customer engagement sector. In addition to its Decat'Club program, Decathlon uses NFT campaigns to engage consumers in a new way. They have, in fact, grasped the turning point that is taking place in the loyalty market. Kipsta has succeeded in building emotional relationships with its customers, creating a strong brand community and establishing itself as one of France's leading "love brands". They are positioning themselves as trailblazers in the same way as Starbucks with its Odyssey project, and Nike with its Swoosh program.
Is it your turn to reenchant your customer commitment?
Decathlon has shaken up the codes of customer experience with its innovative NFTs projects. But did you know that this innovation is within your reach too?
About Cohort
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