Product traceability and RFID technology at DECATHLON

What if you could keep track of a DECATHLON product from its design to its use… and beyond! It is made possible by product traceability, a fascinating process that traces an item's entire history.
Traceability is much more than just the issue of physical movement because it encompasses the collection of crucial data: the origin of materials, manufacturing processes, and standards compliance ... Everything is documented to ensure quality, safety and transparency. DECATHLON has subsequently made traceability a fundamental pillar. Each product tells a story, a unique journey that builds trust and reinforces knowledge of the products that pass through our hands.

The concept of product traceability and RFID are intimately linked.
RFID, or Radio Frequency Identification is a technology that lets you unitarily distinguish all products (and find all the data you want about them) using small, light, practical and discreet chips: RFID tags. This method uses radio waves that automatically identify objects.
In practice, when an RFID reader scans a tag, it activates it and allows it to reveal its secrets. The information integrated into the electronic chip is then transmitted to the reader, enabling complete product visibility.

DECATHLON ensures its products' traceability thanks to this invisible procession of radio waves and data. Each stage of the life cycle is subsequently documented, from the design to the sale by way of the logistics:a real digital passport.

We have equipped all the retail brand entities worldwide (factories, warehouses, stores) with tools for reading RFID tags. There are close to 50,000 readers, mainly designed and produced by the company, spanning the entire value chain: from production until leaving the store.
Unlike competing technologies, RFID requires no external energy supply. RFID tags are "energy efficient", meaning they are activated by the radio waves emitted by an RFID reader. This choice is part of DECATHLON's environmental approach to reduce the technology's environmental impact.

DECATHLON has established itself as a world leader in the field of RFID thanks to its full-scale deployment and mastery of the technology. The company has shown itself capable of rising to the technical and collaborative challenges to make it an actual driver of performance and innovation.
Decathlon had a significant worldwide market share when launching the RFID project.Today, it is an undisputed leader with a 360-degree RFID rollout and an unbeatable customer experience.