Value-driven Brand Identity Construction through Consumer Characteristics: A Case Study of Decathlon

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-801-6_126How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Decathlon; Sports Retail Brand; Consumer Characteristics; Brand Identity; Experiential Marketing

Abstract

In the context of the booming sports industry and the fierce competition in the Chinese market, the relationship between consumer characteristics and brand building is a key issue for sports retailers. The case of this study is Decathlon, a global multi-sport retailer. The study investigates the evolution of the company’s brand positioning, the consumer segments it targets and how insights into consumer behavior are translated into branding practices. The research adopts a case study design based on one case. Secondary data are used, i.e., industry reports, academic journals, and corporate reports. The analysis shows that Decathlon has shifted from being a product-based retailer to an experience-based service provider. This change is driven by three interrelated changes in consumer characteristics: the perception of value from product acquisition to satisfaction of quality-price ratio; the desire to buy from utilitarian needs to experiential and social fulfillment; and the cognitive pathways of the brand from awareness to emotional attachment and community membership. Based on these findings, the study proposes three strategic recommendations: strengthening differentiated product portfolios, enhancing digital personalization capabilities, and systematizing community-building efforts. The study contributes a process perspective to the sports brand management literature and provides practical implications for similar enterprises navigating the evolving landscape of sports consumption in China.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Haotian Chen
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/23
TI  - Value-driven Brand Identity Construction through Consumer Characteristics: A Case Study of Decathlon
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 2nd International Conference on Financial Innovation and Marketing Management (FIMM 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 1211
EP  - 1222
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-801-6_126
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-801-6_126
ID  - Chen2026
ER  -