MONTRÉAL, QC – January 8, 2026 – Decathlon, the global sporting goods brand, is helping Canadians stay on track with their New Year’s resolutions by making its bestselling running shoes unreturnable. Recognizing that many fitness pledges drop by the end of January, customers who purchase Decathlon’s best-selling running shoes between January 1st and 31st, 2026, can symbolically waive their rights to return the product. This initiative serves as a powerful tool to encourage active habit building, fun, and long-term commitment to movement throughout the year. Members who stick to their resolution will be rewarded with 1,000 bonus loyalty points, in recognition of their commitment to movement.
While motivation peaks at the start of the year, the failure rate for resolutions is notorious and is a trend so prevalent it has led to the coining of “Quitters Day,” every second Friday of January. Compounding this challenge, recent data from Drive Research (2024) reveals that a whopping 92% of adults ultimately fail to see their resolutions through.
“We see that people want to start the year strong, but the temptation to quit is often too easy,” said Marie-Lou Blais, Marketing and Communications Director at Decathlon. “Decathlon’s mission goes deeper than convenience as we genuinely care about our customers’ sustained well-being and their ability to commit to themselves. The unreturnable shoe is our playful way of intervening at a pivotal moment, turning a simple purchase into a powerful act of self-commitment, and we’re sweetening the deal with an advantageous point incentive.”
How does it work?
Everyone interested in starting their year in movement is encouraged to secure their own pair of the Unreturnable Shoe by following these easy steps:
● Purchase the Shoe: Go to decathlon.ca or visit any Decathlon store across Canada and purchase one of the best-selling running shoe models; KIPRUN men’s and women’s versatile and water-repellent running shoes, 500 WR.
● Take the Pledge: On the product page, customers will be shown a warning, stating that, by purchasing the shoes, they are agreeing to not return them as they’ll be sticking to their New Year’s resolution to keep moving.
● Receive the Reward: Customers will receive 1,000 bonus loyalty points upon purchase, and will keep them by completing their commitment (not returning the shoes for 30 days). Beyond the initial pledge, Decathlon is equipped to sustain anyone’s sports journey, at all fitness levels. To commit to movement this year, please visit decathlon.ca to learn more.
“We often talk about removing friction from the customer journey, yet here, we’re using friction as a strategic tool for motivation. By challenging the standard return policy, we’re leaning into a fundamental brand truth: Decathlon deeply cares about its customers staying active. It’s a bold move for a retailer to suggest a product is unreturnable, but we’re flipping the script to show how this supports people’s goals: It transforms the brand from a vendor into an accountability partner.” – Xavier Blais, Partner and Executive Creative Director at Rethink
“Decathlon’s mission goes deeper than convenience as we genuinely care about our customers’ sustained well-being and their ability to commit to themselves. The unreturnable shoe is our playful way of intervening at a pivotal moment, turning a simple purchase into a powerful act of self-commitment.” – Marie-Lou Blais, Marketing and Communications Director at Decathlon
