Global sporting goods retailer Decathlon has chosen parcel lockers from Quadient to strengthen its omnichannel strategy and offer more delivery options to customers in France.
The two firms have worked together for the past seven years, with Decathlon first adopting Quadient’s locker solutions back in 2015. So far, Decathlon has equipped 62 stores in France with the lockers. The new partnership will see “dozens” of additional stores fitted out with Quadient’s automated parcel lockers throughout 2022.
Furthermore, within the coming months, Decathlon is also considering expanding its parcel locker initiatives internationally, with two pilots already underway. The retailer operates in 60 countries.
More pick-up options
In France, Decathlon uses Quadient’s Parcel Pending smart locker solutions to offer various pick-up options to its customers. Locker solutions include in-store models, outdoor units for 24/7 access, and Parcel Pending by Quadient’s Lite locker, launched in 2020.
According to Quadient, Lite lockers do not require technical support or a power connection for installation, and they are easy to move, making it convenient in stores where layout continually evolves, improving the customer journey.
With this new investment in Quadient’s lockers Decathlon is aiming to offer more convenient delivery solutions to its customers to meet changing consumer consumption patterns, which have been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. With this in mind, the firm has recently refined its omnichannel strategy by increasing the number of pick-up options for click & collect.
“Decathlon is accelerating its development of e-commerce through 24-hour delivery across France, drive-thru pickup, rental, second-life, and more, offering ever more innovative pick-up solutions to serve our customers,” said Stéphane Montini, Digital Transformation Director at Decathlon. “Decathlon is adapting to the new habits and needs of customers. The goal is to save time at our stores’ welcome counters, offer more pick-up options, and enhance and modernize the customer experience thanks to our employees being even more available to help customers due to the automatic lockers.”
“We are honoured and proud of the renewed trust from Decathlon, a brand we have been working with for many years to provide tailored solutions for their customers,” said Geoffrey Godet, CEO at Quadient. “Our open and agnostic parcel locker solution is integrated into their process and contributes to creating an outstanding customer experience.”
Global expansion
Quadient is pursuing its ambition to be a leader in open-network parcel lockers in key global e-commerce markets. As of January 2022, more than 15,800 Quadient parcel locker units have been installed worldwide.
The Decathlon news follows Quadient’s announcement in March that it is working with leading logistics firm DHL in Sweden to roll out a “significant number” of Quadient’s smart parcel lockers in outdoor locations across the country in 2022.
Furthermore, in February the company announced a new contract with Canada Post Group’s express parcels operator Purolator. Purolator added 20 new smart lockers from Quadient as it looks to enhance customer experience and meet increased package delivery demands.
