Sportdio wants to be Indonesia’s Zappos for sporting goods

Although many entrepreneurs naturally choose ecommerce when starting their ventures in Indonesia, there are still niches that have yet to crown champions. One of them is sporting goods, and Sportdio would love to be the top contender for that throne.

Launched officially in July 2014, Sportdio offers over 2,000 sporting items – including shoes, bags, and fragrances – in its online store. The startup claims to have served more than 300 customers so far, generating Rp 20 million (US$1,600) in revenue each month.

Sportdio is bootstrapped by a three-man team, led by co-founder Steven Djohan who has spent the last four years working in Accenture and Coca Cola. Inspired by Zappos, the team differentiates itself by offering free shipping in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi – as well as the longest return guarantee offered by an ecommerce store in Indonesia at 100 days. For comparison, Zalora and Lazada Indonesia offer 30-day and 14-day return guarantees respectively.

“We hope we can be like Zappos one day. Long Live Tony!” says Djohan.

Return problems?

To return any goods at Sportdio, customers need to email photos of the product, along with the box and tags. After Sportdio approves that the product can be returned, the customer can send the package to a designated address.

Although the team has such a long return guarantee, Djohan says that they are recording a return rate of only about five percent, which is the same rate happening in the general ecommerce scene according to their research. He says that they haven’t encountered anyone who abuses their return policy just yet. “It’s not the matter of days, because the same thing can happen in seven days or 30 days,” says Djohan.

The team’s biggest challenge right now is managing the supply chain. They are open to talk to any third party for possible collaborations, especially one who can leverage Sportdio’s supply chain execution.

Sportdio’s rivals in Indonesia include Sportdeca¹, Sportkita, and Planet Sports.