Under Armour has revealed some of its plans for the trio of fitness apps it snapped up this year. Back in February it splurged for Endomondo, MyFitnessPal and MapMyFitness and now we might be getting a glimmer of why.
The company is working with Sports Authority – an apparel store – a to connect users’ workout activity with customer loyalty programs, effectively earning reward points via the MapMyFitness app as they sweat.
Thanks to its investments in fitness trackers MyFitness Pal and Endomondo, the company is able to court major companies to integrate its vast ecosystem, which in turn provides the company with useful buying data.
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Both UA and Sports Authority agree that by combining forces, they are positioning the companies to strengthen their market position and collect useful information on purchasing behaviour.
With the knowledge gained from purchases made at one of the US’s largest retail sports store, Under Armour will be better prepared to invest in the type of tech sportswear that people want. If fitness enthusiasts tend to buy new running shoes every six months, Under Armour could spend R&D funds designing the perfect connected shoe, which would also be compatible with the company’s social fitness apps.
What’s more, Under Armour isn’t trying to stay exclusive. The company’s vice president of advertising, Warren Kay said that UA’s apps have open APIs that are cross platform and works with a variety of hardware manufacturers like Fitbit and Garmin. The company is trying to avoid the same mistake Nike made with its FuelBand.
