Under Armour is getting into the subscription box game.
Jumping into a market segment popularized by companies such as Stitch Fix and Trunk Club, Under Armour is the first to bring the personalized shopping experience to the activewear community.
The Baltimore-based company’s play — called ArmourBox — offers a collection of products selected by a team of stylists that is sent to the homes of subscribers.
The content of the boxes is determined after subscribers create a personal profile by answering some simple questions about their lifestyle and activewear needs. Sample questions include style preferences, fitness goals, favorite sports and, of course, gender and size.
An Official Outfitter fills the boxes with around four to six products selected from Under Armour’s collection and uses data gleaned from its Connected Fitness platform to help customize those choices.
For example, if someone says she runs a certain number of miles each week, she’s sent gear that Under Armour’s Connected Fitness customers and e-commerce data say is frequently purchased and positively reviewed by others who run similar distances.
The box arrives about 10 days later.
There is no fee to join the program and boxes are shipped every 30, 60 or 90 days. Customers are not charged shipping or return fees. But if they opt to keep everything in the box, they receive a 20 percent discount.
The stylists can pull product from any of the brand’s sports-specific offerings including running, golf, basketball and lifestyle apparel, accessories and footwear.
Jason LaRose, president of North America for Under Armour, said the company decided to enter the subscription box space as a way to better serve its customers rather than take on Stitch Fix or other players in the field.
“We’ve got over 215 million names that are part of our Connected Fitness platforms,” he said, and these people, who use My Fitness Pal, Map My Run and other fitness-related apps that are owned by Under Armour are already willing to share information on their workouts, diet and other details about their lives. “So that’s a good start,” he said, “and a big pool to draw from.”
Under Armour will reach out to these people — as well as its other customers — and ask them to become subscribers. Once enrolled, they can choose how often the boxes are sent to them, as well as what is in those boxes.
“We will ask for feedback so that we keep dialing in on just what they want,” LaRose said. “We want this experience to be frictionless.”
He said that the service has been tested internally and Under Armour is pleased with the results so far. He declined to provide a number on how large a business this can become for the brand, saying, “We haven’t put a number on it. That will be determined by the consumer over time.”
The service is expected to be live within the next 48 hours, he said.