Decathlon has launched Decathlon Outdoor, a website and app that list the nicest and closest natural spots for outdoor experiences and micro-adventures, developed in collaboration with Mhikes, a Grenoble-based startup founded in 2013 specializing in digital tourism and business and consumer mobile solutions. The initiative is meant to concurrently promote Decathlon products and outdoor activities, especially in a period marked by extended lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The new app offers more than 5,000 hiking and cycling trips near the user’s location and throughout France and then accompanies them from their doorstep until the end of the trip. The creation of Decathlon Outdoor has been made possible by a community of more than 3,000 users who have participated in the development of the platform. Users will also contribute to the constant evolution of the platform to meet the expectations of a growing community.
Using proprietary technology developed in a laboratory specializing in geolocation at Université Grenoble Alpes, Mhikes designs travel and route applications that can be consulted online or offline with ultra-precise GPS guidance to within 5 meters. Decathlon and Mhikes first collaborated in 2018 and then teamed up on the Quechua Hike Finder app launch in 2019, followed by other collaborative initiatives. Decathlon acquired more than 80 percent of Mhikes’ capital in December 2020.
