Under Armour dives deep into personalization
Under Armour is looking to elevate the shopping experience with unique fitness data.
The retailer has launched UA Shop, a mobile shopping app built on the Under Armour Connected Fitness platform. Integrating data from the company’s proprietary digital fitness community allows UA Shop to provide a deeply personalized experience based on athlete inspiration, workout history and previous purchase history.
UA Shop will attempt to connect consumers to individualized purchase recommendations driven by data through in-app recommendations. For example, a consumer living in a warmer climate who has logged several runs through the Connected Fitness MapMyRun feature might be exposed to UA CoolSwitch apparel and running footwear. Meanwhile a customer in the Northeast who prefers hiking might see the latest baselayer and outerwear.
The app is also the first in the Under Armour Connected Fitness suite that will launch with the new Under Armour Account. This is a single profile for all Under Armour apps that allows users to sync their existing account information to UA Shop. Additional features include one-touch purchasing with Apple Pay, expanded product content and customer reviews, and apparel tag scanners for enhanced in-store experiences.
"UA Shop is the next step in our connected fitness evolution as Under Armour becomes a true Math House," said Jason LaRose, senior VP, revenue, at Under Armour. "This app was created to maximize our digital platform and complement our existing in-store experiences by bringing consumers a way to find the products they want, when they want it. We are now able to provide custom experiences across our various categories specific to our diverse customer base."
Other athletic apparel and equipment chains, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, have also deployed apps that seamlessly connect the shopping experience to customer fitness activity. Retailers in this vertical are in an especially good position to link their CRM and loyalty programs to the burgeoning mobile personal fitness app and device market.