Hope is a good thing

5 am, rubbing my eyes I look around to find the remote.

Channel number 33-ESPN, Its MCG(Melbourne cricket ground) Glen Mcgrath marking his bowling end, ready to start the innings proceeding with the classic length outswinger as a weapon of destruction.

Facing the likes of legends like Ganguly, Tendulkar & Dravid every Indian including the little boy was sure we are more than capable of putting on a good score that day until we watched Glenn McGrath and Warnie wreak havoc on the batting lineup and watched our team fall like a stack of cards.

It was moments like these in my childhood that taught me to hope, To Hope for the best and watch it go south but to wake up another morning and hope again.

In cricket or in life, the learnings and the implementations have been the same.

Flashback to when I was 7 years old, I played gully cricket with lads who were 18+ while I was just a 7-year-old boy who found the bat to be bigger than himself. One evening when the team was out of players I had the chance to face a rough fast bowler. While others pitied me, I had a shine in my eyes to have my shot at this chance only to defend the next 4 balls and score no runs, I was delighted that I could connect every delivery while the wicket-keeper had a shout “ Dravid ailo re” meaning “ Dravid has come” for the defense I had, it was my moment of joy.

That evening I told my dad that I am called Dravid in our area, 3 days later Dad got me a bat with a sticker that Dravid used those days and since that day there was no looking back.

Cricket became a part of my life.

Fast Forward to the present After an amazing stretch of 10+ professional years I see a Sports Retail giant having its transformation phase to become the next Sports tech Retail Giant.

I had the opportunity to be a part of the Retail IT team as the IT Leader, leading the RFID & Innovation for India, I knew This was my calling.

To make sports accessible to all, coming from a small coastal town I knew what it meant to be a part of an organization that believes and strives every single day to make it more accessible to the many!

How Tech played a crucial role :?

RFID - The Game changer at Decathlon:

Decathlon leveraged the RFID technology to create a seamless customer experience across its global outlets.

Over the years Decathlon has been a striker when it comes to the use of cutting-edge technology adaptation to lead by example.

Decathlon implemented RFID for the turnkey manufacturing process on each step of the supply chain covering the complete lifecycle of the product, This caused a direct impact on aspects like:

1. Customer Buying experience - Created by having a seamless self-checkout experience

2. High accuracy of RFID activation at the distribution/warehouse level

3. Efficient inventory management

4. Reduction in theft by use of the RFID exit gates

Decathlon today is not only the epitome of an example of the implementation of RFID across the globe but also challenging its capabilities with the upgrade in the seamless Scan & Go in progress.

The customers love the store, the excitement of playing and trying different sports at the store, but very few notice the role of the technology that binds the very amazing customer experience

The Self checkout kiosk:- This allows the customers to use the touchscreen to complete the payment process using the UPI/Card payments

The RFID baskets which read all the products being purchased displayed on the screen to make it a swift happy experience - Power the customer?

The applications used for the return of the products?

The Decathlon Mobile application- Allows users to check the real-time stock, place orders, and so on

Not to forget the servers, the backend programs, and so on are the cogs in the wheel which make sure it is all one click away.

Behind the simplicity of the customer journey is the intricacy of the tech which enables this to make it look simple.

Analytics has changed how every sport is perceived, the team winning the championship is more about information and trends analysis than playing only.

Similarly, the Retail industry has leveraged the powerhouse the analytics can bring, This has enabled Decathlon to provide the right product offering without failing to satisfy the customers during different seasons.

I feel life comes full circle when you know you are a star in the universe of Decathlon making sports accessible to many, who will grow up to believe and hope.

Decathlon’s success story is a classic example of how important it is for a brand to have a purpose “ To be useful to People & to their planet”

A purpose-driven for the people and the planet, A purpose driven by a culture that cares and nurtures its People.

I hope we all continue to do something for our planet, hope, because “HOPE IS A GOOD THING, MAYBE THE BEST OF THINGS, AND NO GOOD THING EVER DIES”

Sportingly,

Zoheb Sharieef