Boutique fitness brands such as Orangetheory Fitness and 9Round built entire communities with specialized, in-person courses such as spin classes, boxing classes—even disco goat yoga. Seven months into a pandemic, these boutiques are trying to recreate their sweaty magic outdoors, but the leaves are turning and as Jon Snow said: “Winter is Coming.”

“....but the leaves are turning and as Jon Snow said: ‘Winter is Coming.’”

Gyms, like bars and beauty counters, have battled to survive state and county guidelines during pandemic spikes. Not all fitness corporations turned to outside classes. Spin junkies turned to connected fitness apps and DTC equipment brands for their endorphin kick. Sales started to surge for online classes and stationary bikes went nuts, with sales tripling. And have you tried to purchase dumbbells? They have been out of stock for months and still have not returned.

Connected fitness equipment brands like Peloton sell both a bike and an experience, but many brands best known for the latter still believe in group sweat. As states reopened, they introduced limited capacity, entirely outdoor classes. Members headed back to the gym to both workout and socialize. California Family Fitness offered strength training classes under the sun in California. 305 Fitness created dance parties outdoors in select cities. Equinox+ opened its first gym in NYC last week; SoulCycle moved spin classes to parking lot tents outside some studios. Orangetheory Fitness delved into at home splats. It seems fitness has become our best dopamine and medicine for depression.

Out in the cold

Outdoor classes have created social media moments and provided a great way to promote outdoor fitness during COVID-19--the perfect Instagrammable Band-Aid. But to survive, boutique fitness brands need to develop alternative revenue streams--preferably ones that shorten the commute from bed to bike. More online classes will become necessary as even gym rats battle the cold. All businesses providing outdoor services must be ready to transition quickly with online Go Fund Me accounts or Venmo donation buttons. Still, a shakeout is imminent. “Those that haven’t already pivoted are way behind the game and may not catch up,” Caitlin O’Keefe, Partner in the Strategic Operations practice at Kearney, told Retail Brew. We once thought the future of fitness was niche, in-person experiences. But that was before most consumers became acquainted with the convenience of at-home equipment and tech.

Source: Retail Brew