Fabletics Joins In The Fitness App Frenzy With New Launch

EL SEGUNDO, United States — Kate Hudson’s activewear brand Fabletics is the latest big name to join the fitness app frenzy, with the launch of Fabletics FIT.

Part of a series of initiatives by Fabletics to develop a 360 health and wellness experience for customers, the new app features hundreds of on-demand workouts, meditations and more, designed to meet the growing demand for immersive, at-home fitness experiences. 

It joins the likes of Aaptiv, Future, Fitbit, Strava and thousands of other competitors that have been enjoying the recent boom in digital fitness. According to Mobile data and analytics provider App Annie, more than 71,000 new health and fitness apps launched in 2020, with app store consumer spend up 30 percent, app downloads up 30 percent and time spent on apps up 25 percent in 2020, compared to 2019 — an upwards trend that shows no signs of slowing.

Having created the app in direct response to feedback from its 2 million+ VIP member customer base and the past year’s global surge in-home workouts, Fabletics says it believes “a growing presence in health and wellness content” will provide it with “an exciting opportunity to propel future growth”.

“After a record-breaking year thanks to the growing interest in home-workouts, Fabletics is looking beyond apparel to meet the expectations of our customer base who are exploring new ways to stay fit at home,” commented Adam Goldenberg, Co-Founder and CEO, Fabletics.

And despite the competitive landscape, early insights gleaned from a recent beta period already demonstrate high user engagement, with more than 100,000 workouts taken in under one month.

Already backed by a strong brand experience, Fabletics certainly could have an advantage over its competitors if it is able to translate that experience into the app.

In a bid to do so, it has already pulled together its high network of high profile instructors from popular Los Angeles studios as well as health experts to lead hundreds of innovative on-demand fitness classes. In addition, it is utilizing its in-house studios to produce high-quality fitness content to mirror the experience and quality of premium Los Angeles studio classes.

The app also incorporates the Fabletics shopping experience, offering incentives such as apparel discounts in exchange for meeting fitness challenges. And, unlike most existing fitness apps, Fabletics FIT also features seamless music integration through a partnership with Spotify which allows users to connect and play their own curated playlists while working out — a sore point that continues to plague many digital fitness providers.

Elsewhere, the app is also exploring various fitness content partnerships to continue enhancing the experience, beginning with an expanded collaboration with at-home rowing machine Hydrow. 

As part of the official launch of Fabletics FIT, users will have access to exclusive Hydrow instructor-led rowing and strength workouts — a strategy more digital fitness providers are turning to in order to bolster their value and stand out from the crowd.

However, despite making its first big move beyond activewear, into at-home fitness, Fabletics says it’s still betting on the return of retail. 

The brand, which surpassed $500m in annual revenue in 2020 and launched a men’s line — Fabletics Men, together with actor and comedian Kevin Hart — says it continues to reach new customers by opening 11 new brick-and-mortar locations and has further expansion planned for 2021.

By implementing an omnichannel approach, it plans to anchor itself as a brand that can get consumers moving anywhere and any time.