Can Gaming Save Connected Fitness? Aviron Thinks So
Aviron allows users to play video games while working out at home. The brand believes it’s cracked the code when it comes to fitness motivation
Connected fitness is in flux – at-home brands like Peloton, Tonal and Hydrow have gained impressive followings but the jury is still out on whether they can continue to win new members now that people have returned to gyms and studios following the pandemic.
Aviron believes it’s found a way to break connected fitness out of its rut: video games.
Founded in 2018 by Andy Hoang, Aviron makes at-home workout machines including rowers, a bike and a treadmill, all of which allow users to play arcade-style video games while working out.
If the likes of Peloton, Tonal and Hydrow represent the classic model of connected fitness – instructor-led workout classes for cycling, strength training and rowing, respectively – Aviron offers something new.
“When you say the words ‘connected fitness,’ people think of classes. That’s synonymous with connected fitness,” Hoang tells Athletech News. “We’re doing it differently. Our unique value proposition is that we’re using gamification.”
The Case For Gamified At-Home Fitness
Hoang got the idea to create Aviron after buying a Peloton back in the day and realizing that while he enjoyed the brand’s classes, they weren’t enough to keep him motivated in the long run. He wanted something that could scratch his competitive itch.
Aviron does offer some instructor-led classes, along with guided scenic rides and the ability to stream content like Netflix while working out, but video games are the brand’s bread and butter.
On its rowing machines, Aviron offers arcade-style video games including “Row Breaker,” where users smash bricks with every stroke, “Row to Riches,” where users battle pirate ships, or “Blaze Breakers,” where users save a burning building by spraying a water cannon. Similar games are available on Aviron’s Fit Bike and Treadmill.
Games on Aviron are adaptive, meaning what’s happening on-screen changes based on a user’s effort level on the machine. On the Fit Bike, users pedal faster or slower to achieve certain in-game targets, for example.
Aviron games are available in multiplayer mode, so users can compete online against friends and other fitness enthusiasts for an added layer of competition. Users can also earn Aviron coins for completing workouts, unlock achievements and participate in monthly challenges.
Aviron believes gaming makes fitness fun and challenging, motivating people to keep working out on its machines. The Toronto-based company might be on to something. Some studies have found that gamification strategies such as points or small financial rewards can encourage people to be more physically active.
According to Aviron, 92% of its members are still working out on the brand’s machines after one year. The company has also seen 30% growth year-over-year and consistent monthly increases in membership. Aviron currently has around 50,000 active members globally, it reports.
“Our churn numbers and our engagement numbers are always higher than our competitors,” Hoang says.
Somewhat surprisingly for a gaming fitness brand, Aviron’s customer base is split nearly 50/50 between males and females. And the brand’s core customer demographic is between 35 and 55 years old, so it’s not just Fortnite-obsessed Gen Z kids that enjoy gamified workouts.
Given the broad appeal of gaming, Hoang believes Aviron has a bigger total addressable market (TAM) than traditional connected fitness brands that focus on streaming workout classes.
“If you look at the number of people who are interested in instructor-led classes in North America and you can compare that to how many people play video games on their mobile devices, it overshadows it by 400% or 500%,” he notes.
Don’t Write Off Connected Fitness Just Yet
As Aviron looks to compete with the big boys of connected fitness, it will do so in an uncertain market market for at-home workouts. Brands like Peloton and Tonal have highly dedicated user bases but have experienced some financial struggles and executive upheaval since the pandemic subsided.
Despite some of the negative headlines surrounding connected fitness, Hoang believes the segment is still on an upward trajectory, even if COVID threw a monkey wrench into things by creating an artificially high demand for at-home workouts, causing some brands to grow too quickly for their own good.
“It’s still a huge market, so there’s a huge opportunity,” he says. “Peloton had raised a billion dollars before COVID even hit, so this industry has (always) been on an upward trend.”
Assuming the market for at-home fitness continues to grow, Aviron could be well-positioned thanks to the first-mover effect. While other brands offer gamified cardio machines, most of them stick to one modality, whether that’s cycling or VR. Aviron, by contrast, covers rowing, biking and treadmill running, giving it access to a wider pool of fitness enthusiasts. The brand also recently introduced dumbbells, adding a strength training component to its lineup in line with industry trends.
Looking ahead, Hoang says Aviron will look to expand its product lineup to include not just new fitness modalities, but multiple machines for each modality at different price points. Aviron gave a sneak peek into what may be coming on that front in 2023 when the company launched the StrongGo, a less-expensive version of its flagship rower.
“We’re going to continue expanding but it’s not just expanding breadth-wise, it’s expanding depth-wise,” Hoang says. “It’s not just expanding your product line horizontally, you need to expand it in a way that you can appeal to people who have huge budgets or people who don’t want to spend a lot.”