The Digital Fitness Revolution: Key Trends & Sector Shifts for Future-First Fitness Brands

Key Trends for Future-First Fitness Brands

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1) Increasingly Wearable Wearables

Once only worn by seriously keen athletes, wearable technology has become congruous with style. And thanks to rapid uptake and breakthrough innovation, the category is diversifying from the expected wristwear to next-gen eyewear, headwear, footwear, bodywear and more — with inventors and innovators studying the human anatomy to work out the next limb to target. 

Valued at USD 61.30 billion in 2022, the global wearable technology market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 14.6% from 2023 to 2030, so it’s no surprise brands are dedicating significant funds and resources to the cause. In particular going after much more subtle and integrated products which avoid the inconvenience of an extra bit of kit, instead acting as a seamless enhancer of wellness and exercise. 

Spree, ‘the world’s smartest fitness monitor’ according to the brand’s website, has been implanted into a ‘smart cap’ which uses medical-grade technology to obtain a more accurate reading of your biometric information. Promoting its simplicity, ease and comfort, the cap requires very little ‘set up’, immediately providing intel on vitals via an app. 

In a similar but more stylish vein, the Oura Ring has always stood out at the apex of fitness and fashion, claiming to be the most accurate wearable on the market. Just as traditional health tech monitors your heart rate through your finger, so does Oura.

With designs and finishes to suit your style, the ring is a natural extension of your jewellery collection – just smarter. It’s a far cry from chunky plastic fitbits. You can even dial up your designer clout with the GUCCI x Ōura collection, adorned with the Italian fashion house’s iconic interlocking G’s. Unwavering in their cool-chic approach, Ōura’s cut-above branding is successfully translated in their app and digital experience, with ultra personalisation and goal-setting presented in a UI-designer’s dream. It’s as lavish as it sounds.

Less lavish, more legendary examples can be found amidst the beautiful game. In recent seasons, the likes of Harry Kane & Bakayo Saka have been sporting Apex Vests, leading to a huge surge in the product’s popularity. The FIFA-approved GPS tracker enables constructive analysis across 16 different measurements, complete with the ability to compare your stats to your favourite football pros. 

The combination of athletic endorsement and the social proof of the performance-tracking’s effect, hesitations around wearables impact have reduced.

Data tracking remains one of the economic drivers of new technology in fitness with big investments from tech giants in this space — a trend which has continued post-pandemic. Combinations of athletic endorsement and the social proof of the performance-tracking’s effect has eroded the hesitation surrounding wearables resulting in a widespread willingness to share data in the interest of personal health and fitness goals. 

2) Flexible Fitness: The Hybrid Model

Increasingly hybrid lifestyles have done more than just teased workforces with the dream of four-day working weeks, they’ve catalysed global calls for flexible fitness resources, specifically those tailored to balancing a ‘working out from home’ lifestyle with semi-regular gym trips. Whether it’s live-streamed classes, zoom PT sessions or end-to-end programmes that span both in-gym and at-home environments, flexibility is becoming a baseline for fitness fledglings and fanatics alike.

An empower of this lifestyle, Gympass is an all-in-one corporate wellbeing platform which gives employees unlimited access to gyms, personal training, therapy & wellness apps. Individuals can enjoy classes and fitness programmes from the comfort of their own homes or choose to visit a local gym or in-person class. A freedom which encourages individuals to take ownership of their wellness activities, finding providers and solutions that suit their specific needs, whether IRL or via URL.

Globally-loved brand Barry’s gyms, known for their heart-pounding, core-shaking work-outs, were once only available in person but can now be streamed via a comprehensive digital workout app ‘BarrysX’, allowing loyal fans to take part from wherever they are in the world. The app offers live workouts and on-demand content from which individuals can curate their own schedules to suit them. The digital experience also incorporates social networking capabilities to share remote workouts with your ‘fitfam.’

The popularisation of hybrid fitness has forced brands to build larger, less localised audiences compared to those that brick-and-mortar gyms had to focus on. Consider it an opportunity to meet, serve and positively impact clients wherever they are. No longer bound to physical locations, brand loyalty can be built constantly through the modern extension of man: smartphones. 

3) Subscriptions, Subscriptions, Subscriptions.

Subscriptions, we love them. Be it Pret, Spotify or Netflix, the fitness sector is no different. In fact the subscription model slots into the sector perfectly, serving up easy(ish)-to-follow parameters for the commitment and consistency necessary for health and wellness. We all have cheat days though. 

In an uncharacteristically clever move for the streaming giant, Netflix subscribers got a health kick with the launch of Nike Training Club at the end of December 2022. Just like your favourite Netflix series, the training club offers up to 30-hours of set programmes for all fitness levels to participate in from home. Led by Nike’s top trainers, all workouts are tailored to your home space with no equipment needed.

Combating the apparent lack of connection that comes with digitising fitness, the Future Fitness App ‘brings human connection to digital personal training’ through pairing individuals with expert coaches who plan bespoke weekly fitness programmes. 

Matched on goals and training styles, the subscription-based app allows users to work out anywhere at any time, but with the care and support of a coach on a direct line. Through wearables, the app provides the coach with detailed biometrics to help drive performance on a week-by-week basis. 

Channelling the obsession with tracking, smart-insights app Nutrisense ‘optimises your daily health performance’ through analysing blood glucose levels in real time and how this responds to ‘food, exercise, stress and sleep’. 

The minimally invasive biosensor is delivered on a bi-monthly basis as dietitians work with you one-on-one to decode your glucose data. Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) were originally developed for people with Type-1 diabetes, but are now being marketed at a consumer level to ‘hack’ your body for enhanced performance. Why not?

Ultimately, subscriptions enhance consistency, key to growth and change. Brands whose product/service supports buyers on their physical (and potentially quite emotional) journey with fitness through continued support, guidance and perks over time will be rewarded with rock solid loyalty, while users get rock solid abs.

Recommended by female health professionals and enhanced with clinically-proven biofeedback technology, Perefit offers seven training programmes to help with everything from pelvic floor prevention, incontinence to postnatal recovery and sexual wellness.

Another fitness/gaming innovation is the Capti Bike, having partnered with Epic Games to deliver 3D video game-level graphics on the equipment’s display screen. The bike features 50 maps and 350+ miles of graphics, simulating the experience of riding outside through Terrain Adaptive Resistance. Users can unlock different ‘game worlds’ and levels to challenge themselves, from the real to the unreal.

A stimulating scene of blaring music, mesmerising light shows and instructors that double as models. Done badly, these features could be seen as primed for distraction — something not many gym-goers seek out — but at KXU it drives performance. 

At the other end of the spectrum, The Clock Gym in Marylebone firmly sits within the boutique category, focusing on ‘time-intelligent training’. As noted by Listique, ‘the wood-panelled interior and shiny copper equipment creates a warm sense of sophistication that is more reminiscent of a Chelsea private members club than a place for high-intensity training.’ Workouts are kept to 25 mins, perfect for time-strapped professionals looking to keep on top of their fitness. 

The South Kensington Club is a more traditional ‘social wellness’ hub, boasting an informal, relaxed approach to health and fitness. Clients are able to enjoy all their needs (gyming, working, dining) under one beautiful townhouse roof. Their model dilutes the need for multiple memberships, offering end-to-end experience and a more subtle approach to wellness with privacy at its core. 

As with all memberships, an individual’s selection indicates their personality, interests and lifestyle. They’re carefully chosen, mindful of the associations and community they are deemed to be a part of. Take inspiration from hospitality brands targeting similar demographics to define your CX, level up your service and find optimal spaces to innovate within.

1) Virtual Reality: 3D Fitness 

A fun, futuristic offshoot of the rise in wearables, the joint ‘headwear and eyewear’ category is ‘estimated to be the second-largest and second-fastest-growing product segment from 2022 to 2030.’ Uptake in VR headsets is gradually increasing too, driving an appetite for simulated 3D experiences across every aspect of life - including exercise.

Capitalising on the innovation are the team at the Lanserhof Arts Club, Mayfair — ‘a place to access cutting-edge medical health and wellness services while experiencing the finesse and care of The Arts Club, London’s most exclusive private members’ establishment.’

Lanserhof offers the ICAROS workout, enabling members to fly, dive or drive through virtual worlds within a transformer-esque weighted machine. 

‘Training different muscle groups, focusing on core and upper body muscles, these workouts simultaneously improve reflexes, balance and coordination abilities.’

Closer to home, Meta’s OCULUS unveiled an Oculus Move app which allows users to track the number of calories they burn unintentionally as they take part in physically-active games, even allowing them to set goals. 

For those who are a touch more fitness conscious, Supernatural offers guided workouts hosted in beautiful locations from Mars to the Great Wall of China for VR gamers to enjoy. Routines involve a mix of ‘sweeping arm movements with plenty of squats and lunges for intense full-body workouts’. 

Another player in the VR Sector is Holofit, an app that encourages exploration and adventure with the aim of physical movement. 

‘Paddle through Antarctica, bike through San Francisco, or even fulfil those childhood dreams and exercise in outer space. You can explore at your own pace, or go for a guided HIIT workout if you want to crank up.’

As the world continues to adopt headsets and metaversal domains as day-to-day technology, fitness brands can simulate their ideal environments in every context, fully immersing their audience in the most adventurous and fantastical of environments. 

2) Live. Work. Play. The Luxury of Space.

Despite the digital revolution’s extraordinary effect on the fitness space, an occasional return to human-centric, in-person, real-world experiences is becoming increasingly sought after.

No matter how pretty home gyms can now be, facilitated by fitness’ digital upswing, some of us urbanites simply don’t have the space for one and alternatively seek out communal spaces like classes and gyms. The hesitance for many comes in fear-led forms, desiring safe spaces that enable them to work out in both a comfortable environment and one with the space and amenities they want.

Move over sleep pods, Gympods saw your concept and raised you. ‘Spacious, private fitness pods, fitted with an array of kit, technology and POD options’ available to rent on an hourly-basis, they’re a remedy to peak gym times. 

Competing for the singular set of 10kg dumbbells or being crowded during a HIIT workout is a thing of the past for Gympod loyalists. Everything is yours for the taking (not home with you, though). And perhaps, even more attractively, with total privacy to work out however you’d like.

Increasingly people are paying a premium and (painfully high) service charge for the addition of a pool, gym or spa facilities within their residential building. The countless number of new luxury builds sell themselves on their wellness facilities for utmost, luxurious convenience. Here lies a huge opportunity for digital-first fitness brands, those who rose to prominence in the whirlwind of digital’s dominance, to collaborate with hospitality brands and residential properties.

In 2021, the Sky Pool opened in Embassy Gardens to gallons-worth of hype: a swimming experience compared to flying, residents can float through the 25-metre crystal clear acrylic pool stretched between two buildings with surrounding views of London. Beyond this standout selling point, the development offers residents not one but two state-of-the-art gyms, an indoor pool with aquatic facilities, a luxurious indoor and outdoor spa.

The indoor and outdoor spa facilities at Embassy Gardens were designed to give residents the feeling of being ensconced in the inner sanctuary of one of the world’s finest resorts – without leaving home.

With many developers taking note of the trend towards wellness at every turn, the competition to be the go-to amenity provider will skyrocket. As will your brand if you win the race.

Ranging from mildly-obsessed to cult-like followings, Matter Of Form’s fascination in the fitness sector knows little bounds. While most of us slide-tackle, sprint or scrum our way through the weekends, our weeks are dedicated to forward-thinking strategy, dynamic digital experience design and meaningful innovation. So if you’re looking for a teammate, get in touch via hello@matterofform to chat to one of our players (consultants) to find out about our services.