Are you thinking of entering the fitness eCommerce industry? If yes, then you’re looking at a massively booming market with new entrants stepping in every second day. This market also has many established brands that’ve taken advantage of its explosive growth in recent years.
The consumer’s appetite is rapidly increasing for fitness equipment, clothing, supplements, and nutritious foods. However, high demand usually comes with intense competition.
Fitness eCommerce websites are almost everywhere. The market for digital fitness and well-being is expected to develop at a consistent CAGR of 7.83% between 2024 and 2028, reaching a value of USD 126.50 billion by 2028.
So how will you stand out in this thriving yet competitive market? You need an aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly website with compelling content to draw in customers.
This article helps you explore behind-the-curtain strategies of successful fitness eCommerce websites and shows you the step-by-step way to build one for your business.
Learn About the Fitness eCommerce Market
Ever since the COVID-19 era kicked in, home workouts have become a trend. Mostly, millennials and Gen Z are driving this trend as studies indicate that these two generations constitute 80% of gym-goers.
eCommerce fitness businesses have skillfully capitalised on the power of social media platforms, brandings, and online convenience to create a vibrant new market filled with lucrative opportunities. The global home fitness market size is projected to reach USD 17.3 Billion by 2030 growing at 4.9% CAGR in the 2022 to 2030 forecast period.
The rapidly expanding fitness eCommerce market has much to offer to entrepreneurs venturing into this sector. You can take your business to new heights with the right eCommerce strategies and insights.
15 Popular Fitness eCommerce Sites
From products to virtual services, fitness eCommerce touches upon nearly every aspect of the industry. Spotlight on some fitness eCommerce brands that have nailed their website strategy:
- GymShark: Transforming from URL to IRL
Gymshark, a British sportswear, apparel and accessories retailer and manufacturer, now enjoys millions of loyal customers spanning around 131 countries. But how did Gymshark make that possible? They created a multichannel online presence using a consistent brand aesthetic across all channels.
The company transformed its brand from URL to IRL and excels in online-to-offline (O2O) commerce. They set up pop-up shops, a space dedicated to fitness fans to meet famous fitness experts and influencers. Customers can also buy Gymshark products in person at these shops.
As portrayed by Gymshark’s website manager, Daniel Knight, these pop-up shops create a unique customer experience. They make Gymshark’s digital presence more tangible by offering emotional customer experiences, which online interactions may not provide.
This strategy highlights Gymshark’s ability to profoundly integrate digital and physical experiences for customers, fostering solid bonds with them.
- Crossrope: Strategic Platform Switch
Crossrope is a fitness brand focused on jump ropes. Their success story began with the dawn of Covid-19, when home-workouts became a norm. The company cleverly leveraged this shift and profusely promoted its jump rope workout.
The strategic move fared well for the brand and the demand for their products soared, marking a substantial increase in its eCommerce sales. However, the company was unsure if its current eCommerce platform could handle the burst of online orders. As a result, they switched their online platform.
Crossrope’s shift to Shopify Plus became a turning point for its exponential growth. The company witnessed a 90% increase in revenue and a 94% hike in transactions. They did this during a peak in their sales, a risky yet bold move that paid off heavily. It helped them expand their reach globally.
- MuscleBlaze: Creating a Certified Nutrition Brand
Founded in 2012, MuscleBlaze has quickly become one of India’s most trusted nutrition brands. It introduced several industry-first innovations, such as SMS-based product authenticity checks and protein test certificates from NABL-certified labs. These features help assure customers of the quality and authenticity of the products they purchase online.
Its commitment towards quality goes even beyond sourcing of premium ingredients. The company assures that its products are manufactured in high-tech FSSAI and HACCP-certified facilities. The company is dedicated to research that has led to the development of products such as Biozyme Whey, which is clinically tested to provide the enhanced absorption of proteins.
Apart from supplements, MuscleBlaze provides a wide range of fitness accessories like shakers, t-shirts, and gloves made from international-grade material. These products undergo stringent quality checks to ensure that customers receive the best in fitness gear.
With a growing customer base and dedication to research-backed products, MuscleBlaze remains a top choice for fitness enthusiasts.
- NOBULL: Midnight Launches for Loyal Customers
NOBULL faced heavy competition from renowned fitness brands like Adidas, Nike, and Rebook. The brand took its marketing game a notch higher by resonating with an audience who trains hard with no excuses, making it their motto.
They started doing midnight product launches, which became a big deal. These new products sold out instantly, as customers never miss a chance to grab them at the drop of a hat. There’s no excuse for website problems during these crunch times.
The company decided on these midnight product launches because currently the demand significantly exceeds the supply. The odd launch timing helps their loyal customers get a better shot at what they require. This approach worked so well for them that sometimes the products sell out before many customers even get a chance to check out.
- Altitude Sports: Predictive Search with a Visual Twist
Altitude Sports, a tiny store in Montreal during the 1980s, is now a multimillion-dollar online retail pioneer among fitness eCommerce brands. The evolution from a physical store to an eCommerce powerhouse is a cornerstone of their success.
Many fitness brands struggled to make a successful digital transformation from brick-and-mortar stores, but Altitude Sports took this leap. They launched their eCommerce store in 1999, and have been continuously growing since then.
The brand uses advanced technology to beat the competition. The most interesting and popular feature of the Altitude Sports website is its predictive search function. This feature is powered by SearchSpring and provides visual merchandising suggestions that allow customers to see their options before clicking.
- Fuaark: A Wave in Gym Wear
Fuaark, a fitness wear brand founded by Rimpy Juneja and Swati Narang in 2017, was born from a passion for gym culture and a desire to improve fitness apparel. After noticing a gap in the market for high-quality, well-fitting gym wear, Fuaark set out to create performance-enhancing clothing tailored to individual body shapes.
The brand aims for inclusive design, hence making its products suitable for all body types. Fuaark uses technology related to tapered fit that adapts to all body shapes and fits for better movement and comfort during workouts. Quality and performance can be seen in the premium fabrics used by the brand, enhancing fit and functionality.
It also promotes a supportive and inclusive community, where fitness goals are celebrated regardless of an individual’s starting point. Offering stylish, high-performance gear, their athleisure wear helps boost confidence and encourage people to pursue their fitness dreams with the brand.
- Women’s Best: Targeting Audience with Localised Experiences
Women’s Best specialises in women’s health supplements and vitamins. The brand became popular globally by customising its eCommerce experience to many regions. It has nearly 10 custom storefronts worldwide. Each of these displays products in the specific country’s local language and currency.
They capitalised on social media as well. Women’s Best has specific Instagram accounts for different regions like the Middle East, Italy, and Poland. Every account communicates to the audience in their local language and links them to the regional online store.
Women’s Best also has a separate account for its apparel, Women’s Best Wear. The brand leverages these targeted accounts to create a specific customer base using their geographic locations or interests.
This diverse targeting helps them acknowledge and adapt to the unique preferences of customers in different regions. Hence, they’re able to engage with and satisfy the varying needs of their international customers.
- BPI Sports: Solidifying D2C Presence
BPI Sports is a popular Florida-based nutritional supplement wholesaler, earning maximum revenue from B2B sales. Its products are regularly displayed on the shelves of renowned fitness retailers like Vitamin World, GNC, and The Vitamin Shoppe.
However, BPI Sports decided to strengthen its direct-to-consumer (D2C) channel and transform its brand identity to do more and grow as an individual business.
Their journey began on a slightly sad note as the original website, costing over USD 6,000 in development, was a failure. The website posed frequent issues to the staff and customers, leaving them frustrated. They were often dealing with unreliable data and crashing shopping carts.
BPI Sports was growing too fast, and the business infrastructure was lacking. So they finally decided to make a shift to another platform to simplify their D2C channel. It massively improved their online sales and customer experience.
- Leeway Fitness: High-Quality Gym Equipment
Leeway Fitness was founded in 2015 to make gym equipment accessible to individuals and commercial fitness centers. It is based in Meerut, a well-known hub for manufacturing high-quality gym equipment.
Initially, the brand catered to home gym users, but as its reputation grew, commercial gym owners and traders also started purchasing its equipment. Leeway Fitness offers a large number of products that include adjustable benches, dumbbells, barbells, weight plates, treadmills, spin bikes, and storage racks.
All these products enable the users to achieve their fitness goals, which include weight loss and strength building. The company is continuously expanding and furthering its status as a well-established name in the industry.
- Fabletics: Forecasting Using Customer Data
Fabletics played its cards well with a VIP subscription membership for its clothing market. Customers get specifically curated monthly outfit options at a lower price.
The fitness eCommerce brand uses customer data to forecast inventory. They analyse previous customer purchasing patterns and link them to transactions.
The brand asks new members seven precise questions regarding their lifestyle and style choices. They also use previous purchase data to predict their customer’s future preferences, and accordingly customise outfits for them.
Moreover, Fabletics also uses its online data to its advantage. They improve the in-store experience of their customers through this data.
- SweetLegs: Leveraging the Power of Simplicity
SweetLegs made ‘simplicity’ its armour to conquer customers’ hearts. The brand leveraged the power of inclusivity by offering leggings to women of all sizes. But there’s more than one thing that makes them stand out. Sweetlegs prefers a simple website design over complex eCommerce platforms.
In 2016, SweetLegs’ website went down during one of the busiest shopping weekends, Black Friday. It alarmed the multimillion-dollar brand against the risk of such a crash during the holiday season.
So, the company decided to re-platform and chose a standard template just a week before the next Black Friday. That idea was a super hit, as they generated nearly USD 2 million online sales and more than 10,000 transactions, in the busiest time of the month. The website was up and running, handling loads of traffic like a hero.
Choosing simplicity allowed Sweetlegs to focus on more important things, propelling its growth, enhancing customer experience, and ensuring smooth transactions. It was a game-changer for them.
- 310 Nutrition: Building a Strong Community
310 Nutrition has gathered over a million followers on their social media handles like Instagram and Facebook. The fitness eCommerce brand focused on building a thriving online community to guide its members throughout the painstaking journey of getting healthy and fit.
The idea was to pull customers out of the discouraging loop, where they think it’s important to give up treats to get in shape or stay healthy. So, they began sharing recipes for treats like the Banana Peanut Butter Mocha Shake, along with smoothies for every season and holiday around the year. The brand wanted to encourage its community to make healthier decisions, without giving up things they love.
Moreover, 310 Nutrition’s website and campaigns have a lot of user-generated content like success stories, before-and-after shots, and testimonials, to show customers’ real results.
The reviews and UGC help them motivate sceptical visitors. They can anticipate customers’ difficulties and readily address them using their internal resources or social community, winning customer loyalty.
- Proyog: A Yoga Focused Label
Proyog is an Indian brand offering yoga-focused activewear made with sustainable materials. It emphasises comfort, functionality, and authenticity, ensuring that yoga practitioners get the best experience.
The brand uses eco-friendly fabrics of organic cotton. Their clothing products are breathable and flexible, yet designed to make movement easy in a minimalist piece that aligns with the concept of yoga itself. Proyog stands above the rest with its focus on ethical production with natural materials in the market of activewear.
Proyog is a brand that inspires mindful fitness. The designs are free-flowing with no seams that may restrict the movement during yoga. Earthy colour tones and soft textures create a soothing experience that makes the brand appealing to people who value sustainability and comfort in their practice.
- Kayla Itsines: Embracing the Raw and Aspirational Aspects of Fitness
Kayla Itsines is an international fitness sensation. In 2016, she was recognised among Time Magazine’s 30 Most Influential People on the Internet, and she appeared on the Financial Review’s list of Young Rich Australians in 2021.
As she finished school, in 2008, Itsines started her fitness journey as a gym trainer. She decided to work with women who had the same fitness goals: slim down, but don’t bulk up. Since her machine-based classes failed to get her success she took up aerobics. Aerobic classes were a hit and started paying off.
She exchanged her expert fitness and nutrition advice with friends for their before and after photos to share on her Instagram account. Soon, she gained popularity among women worldwide.
She has over 15 million followers on Instagram and nearly 30 million on Facebook. Her brand is a USD160 million empire today.
She leveraged the aspirational side of fitness. It worked because many women got real results and started spreading word-of-mouth for Itsines. Since customers want to know what to expect from brands, consistency propels your growth.
- FITTR: Personalised Fitness Plans
FITTR is a fitness platform offering customised workout and nutrition plans. It offers specific programs according to the goals of the individual, medical conditions, and dietary preferences.
Starting as a small community, the platform has scaled up to serve millions of users. FITTR serves individuals, corporate clients, and fitness professionals. The platform provides services across all levels of fitness. There are options available to connect with coaches who plan diets and exercise regimes based on BMI and particular needs.
One of the standout features of FITTR is its focus on measurable progress. It has developed science-based methods to help people track improvement and stay consistent. This further creates a strong fitness community where individuals can share their experiences, find motivation, and participate in challenges.
Build Your Fitness eCommerce Store: Step by Step Process
You require a solid and well-thought plan and a substantial marketing ecosystem to build a solid fitness eCommerce business. Here’s how you can achieve that:
- Decide the Product
The fitness eCommerce industry is like a vast ocean with new fishes swimming their way in often. It means that there are plenty of opportunities for newbies to establish their brands.
You must start by picking a product you want to sell. But choosing the right one can be challenging. There are many options like selling physical fitness goods, digital products, virtual services, subscriptions, or maybe all of them.
Ponder upon the audience you’re trying to target and the problem you’re willing to solve to make this decision. Identifying a clear need in your target community and finding unique ways to offer solutions will help you enter the fitness eCommerce industry with a good product.
Here are some tips for choosing the ideal product:
- Offer a solution to a pressing issue
- Look for a specific niche
- Dive into your own passions for guidance
- Sell what you excel at
- Continuously monitor fitness trends to know demand and growth potential
- Consider reading customer reviews, thoughts on different forums, and social media commentary to understand customer needs
- Choose Your Business Model
The next step is to choose a business model depending on your target audience, business goals, and product.
Here are some commonly used eCommerce business models to help you decide:
- Business-to-Business (B2B): In this model, firms sell goods or services to other businesses.
- Direct-to-Consumer (D2C): Businesses using this model manufacture and sell products directly to the consumer through their eCommerce store.
- Business-to-Consumer (B2C): Companies adopting this model sell their own or sourced products to the consumers.
- Private Label: Businesses with a private label hire a third party to produce goods, and sell them under their name.
- Wholesale: It’s a B2B model where businesses sell products in bulk at discounted rates to other businesses, instead of selling them individually.
- Subscription: This is a business model where you let customers access your products, services, or information regularly for a monthly fee.
If one model doesn’t suffice for your business, you can incorporate several business models simultaneously. For instance, B2C or D2C enterprises can enhance their portfolio by offering customers a membership programme for exclusive wellness content, which may increase engagement on the website.
You may also look for effective sales and marketing tactics to create more demand and interest, like community building, using a flash sale model, employing an omnichannel infrastructure, or leveraging social commerce.
- Pick an eCommerce Platform
After deciding on the business model, select an appropriate eCommerce platform for your business. You can opt for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), cloud, or on-premise platforms. SaaS is usually the best when it comes to scalability and user-friendliness.
Here are the attributes you need to look for in an eCommerce platform:
- Reliability
- Scalability
- Compliance with PCI
- Inventory management
- Sales channel integrations
- Fast checkout and payments
- Launch your eCommerce Store
Ultimately, after you finish creating your fitness eCommerce website, you’ll need to launch it. But before going live with your website, you must follow these steps:
- Conduct comprehensive tests
- Schedule the launch
- Prepare a team for immediate problem-solving
- Establish a contingency plan
Once you’re live, continue to rigorously check and monitor everything from the checkout process to SEO and visitor analytics.
How Shiprocket Simplifies Shipping for Fitness eCommerce Stores
Efficient shipping management is critical to fitness eCommerce websites as consumers prefer quick and reliable shipping. Shiprocket simplifies this with a simple-to-use platform that enables easy order fulfillment, tracking, and pricing.
Shipping costs can affect the profitability of a business, but Shiprocket offers competitive rates based on delivery locations. With various courier partners, you can choose the most appropriate shipping option for your business.
It provides a technology-enabled service that tracks orders and sends notifications automatically. Customers receive real-time updates via SMS or email, reducing order status queries. Your business benefits through this automated process as it keeps customers informed and improves their experience.
It is usually difficult to connect a shipping solution with sales channels, but Shiprocket simplifies it. It can easily be connected with websites and marketplaces using a non-coding plugin. This automates shipping for your fitness eCommerce stores, reducing manual work and improving order processing speed.
Also, the platform extends to tier 2 and tier 3 cities, where you can connect with a greater audience. With its efficient shipping solutions, Shiprocket allows your eCommerce stores to expand without any logistics hassles.
Conclusion
It’s not only about entering the fitness eCommerce market but stepping in with a boom. You need to go beyond conventional approaches, innovate, and connect to find success in the fitness eCommerce sector.
The renowned fitness websites show the varied opportunities this online business offers to leverage the boom in this industry. These businesses worked smart and put their blood and sweat into making their eCommerce business a roaring success.
The takeaway from the success stories of these businesses is as follows: Combining online and offline strategies strengthens customer relationships, maintaining user engagement helps build loyalty, utilising customer data paves the way for better business decisions, and offering localised experiences can result in a global impact.
