Over 90 percent of polled Decathlon customers say they will prioritize fitness, lockdown or not.
Bengaluru, May 27, 2020: Leading sports retailer, Decathlon, recently polled returning customers as its stores began reopening from the first week of May, 2020, following the easing of the national lockdown guidelines. An overwhelming 91 percent of them indicated that staying fit and active is essential to staying healthy at all times. In fact, most consider fitness and sports as an ‘essential category’.
The poll indicated a preference for fitness and yoga products while ‘most likely’ practiced sports following the lifting of the lockdown will be running, fitness-cardio and cycling. There is an increasing preference towards staying indoors during the current pandemic with an emphasis on keeping fit.
Since the reopening of select Decathlon stores, products for cycling, fitness cardio, yoga and running were among the top-ten purchased categories for customers looking to bolster home equipment for fitness. This included Decathlon products for cross-training, body-building and shoes for jogging and nature hiking. Sales also surged for yoga- mats and dumbbells.
Cycling led the pack with customers purchasing Decathlon cycles across the mountain, nature, hybrid and children, cycling sub-categories. Almost all the cycles sold in Decathlon are ‘Made in India’ specifically for local conditions. Cycling is a great option to continue maintaining safe social distance even after the lockdown is lifted as well as for commuting with cities such as Bengaluru encouraging the development of dedicated cycling pathways to decongest.
Dhiren Shetty, Lead – West Zone, Decathlon India added, “The times we are living in today only reinforce the view that being fit and playing sports is essential for everyone to be healthy, including building strong immunity. Playing a sport or sticking to a fitness routine is not just something we do in our free time but more than ever, it needs to be ingrained in our daily lives. At Decathlon, we strive to spread awareness on the benefits of sports and in making sports accessible to all. Something that the community of over five thousand Decathalonians in India firmly believes in”. He added further, “It has been encouraging to see scores of eager sports and fitness enthusiasts returning to our stores guided by this belief”.
Staying at home for prolonged periods of time can pose a significant challenge for remaining physically active. Sedentary behaviour and low levels of physical activity can have negative effects on the health, well-being and quality of life of individuals. Self-quarantine can also cause additional stress and challenge the mental health of citizens. Physical activity and relaxation techniques can be valuable tools to help you remain calm and continue to protect your health during this time, says the WHO.
Decathlon, has introduced a series of zero-contact and innovative, technology-enabled shopping options in addition to stringent in-store safety and health related compliances. Currently, 38 stores are open across 28 cities with additional re-openings expected (subject to local guidelines and provisions).
Staying fit and active through is essential for one’s overall well-being and in leading a healthy lifestyle. Decathlon encourages sports and fitness enthusiasts to follow all health and safety norms, practising physical distancing and wearing masks at all times.
Sports practitioners engage in focused physical training and mindfulness that helps boost Serotonin (the happy hormone ) levels in our brain and keeps depression at bay, says Sharanya Swaminathan, an independent Psychologist. And that’s why playing now is more important than ever!
Corporate Comm India(CCI Newswire)
