63% of consumers prefer to finalize their purchases in-store after seeing a product in a real-life context (source: IFOP, 2023). In specialized sectors like sports retail—where product expertise, technical specs, and seasonality are crucial—this statistic reinforces a clear reality: the physical store remains a powerful place of decision, provided it is clear and engaging.
To meet this demand, sports retailers are increasingly turning to agile, contextual, and animated in-store communication. In this context, digital signage emerges as a key lever to optimize the customer experience and manage in-store messaging effectively.
A single department might display gear for casual hiking, ultra-trail running, and Nordic walking all at once. In these contexts, traditional signage isn’t enough. Screens become educational and persuasive tools—helping compare models, showcase the benefits of technical fabrics, or explain services such as tailoring, rentals, or repair workshops.
Digital signage also smooths the experience in high-traffic areas, displaying useful information, guiding shoppers, and lightening the load on teams by answering frequently asked questions visually.
A compelling large-scale example is Decathlon, which has deployed over 1,500 screens across 324 stores in France using the Zebrix platform. The solution enables real-time content adaptation by product category, store events, and commercial peaks.
The dual benefit is clear: stores enjoy flexible local content (for sales, testing events, etc.), while the national brand voice remains consistent—especially during product launches and branding campaigns.
All content is managed remotely via the Zebrix cloud interface, requiring no external media players. Combined with Samsung’s professional-grade displays, this setup ensures optimal image quality and long-term durability—even in challenging retail environments.
Zebrix is well suited to the fast-paced, high-impact nature of sporting goods retail. Its strength lies in both hardware flexibility and operational agility.
Unlike closed ecosystems, Zebrix supports a wide range of hardware:
Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Android screens
Chrome OS and E-Paper compatibility
Lightweight Zebrix media players for non-native screens
👉 This enables gradual rollouts or pilot deployments without replacing your entire screen fleet.
Zebrix enables multi-store retailers like Decathlon to:
Centrally manage content across hundreds of screens while allowing local customization
Use custom tags to automatically send the right content to the right screen (by sport, product universe, season, region, etc.)
Synchronize screens within a store to create dynamic video walls
Adapt content to real-time data (stock levels, local weather, foot traffic) via open APIs and contextual triggers
With a user-friendly editor and reusable templates, Zebrix empowers marketing, comms, and merchandising teams to create content without relying on external vendors.
Key features include:
Multi-zone layouts for promotions, inspiration, and info simultaneously
Built-in widgets like weather, social media, traffic alerts, QR codes
Time- and location-based scheduling, to animate categories based on the hour or region
Zebrix also simplifies screen fleet management:
Automatic power on/off based on store hours
Remote settings management (brightness, standby, firmware updates)
Full dashboard for remote monitoring
This reduces field interventions and ensures uninterrupted content display, even during network outages thanks to local caching.
In sporting goods stores, expert advice is a crucial differentiator. But delivering that level of support at scale, especially under staffing pressure, requires smart communication tools.
That’s where digital signage shines—enabling stores to guide, inform, and inspire customers while modernizing the overall in-store experience.
👉 Want to see how Zebrix supports leading sports retailers in their digital transformation? Request a personalized demo and explore what’s possible with intelligent in-store signage.