Content-Driven Equipment Is the Future of Fitness, Youll Says

Fitness and wellness brands are increasingly focusing on educational content and usability to make their products more effective and appealing

There is no doubt that wellness and fitness in 2024 and beyond will involve higher-tech equipment.

As alternative services such as saunas and ice baths make their way into people’s daily wellness routines, and fitness equipment design becomes more advanced, users will require education and guidance to get the best outcomes. 

This means content-driven fitness and wellness equipment will be a must-have versus a nice-to-have. Equipment of the future must educate users on how to get the most out of their experience.

A Technology Shift

Youll – a developer of content-centric apps for the wellness and fitness industry – is already getting a glimpse of this shift today.

“We are seeing a trend now with equipment manufacturers who are highly focused on enhancing the useability and user experience of their products,” said Alex Bejan, Founder and CEO of Youll. “We are designing custom apps to deliver educational content and guidance, which also opens the door to ancillary revenue streams.”

Youll is not stopping there, though. The company is going a step further to create custom integration modules that connect apps with equipment hardware, allowing the user to have personal control of equipment from their phone. 

In short, Youll is helping manufacturers leverage digital technology to inform, navigate and control their equipment. 

“This is a one-two punch, making even the most advanced equipment more accessible and enjoyable with the use of content and guidance, and the overall user experience much more personal because the control is in the palm of their hand,” says Bejan.

“Innovation in wellness hardware goes beyond physical design; it’s about enriching user interaction, and that’s what will differentiate the wellness and fitness equipment of the future,” says Youll CPO Catalin Secosan. 

A Glimpse Into the Future

Youll is playing this out with several entities in the fitness and wellness space now.

“One example is an ice bath company we are currently working with,” says Bejan. “We are developing an app that will deliver educational content around ice bathing, usage suggestions, support and directions, and that will also integrate with the bath’s hardware so the user can control the water flow, temperature and more right from their phone.” 

“The app can even be used to prepare the ice bath while the user is working out, so it’s ready to go at just the right time, making the experience that much better,” he adds.

Youll has partnered with a sauna company as well.

“We are essentially creating a fully connected sauna that will offer educational content, control the temperature of the space, allow the user to turn it on, set alerts and more,” says Bejan. 

The extent to which the Youll platform can be designed and leveraged to enhance the user experience is only limited to the manufacturer’s imagination.

“Think about a sauna experience where the user can not only control basic settings but also create just the right ambiance with music and lighting and more. The sky is the limit,” says Bejan.

Even traditional cardio equipment such as treadmills and elliptical machines can benefit greatly by integrating these smart digital applications. 

“Any gym device with a screen right now can be connected to an app, allowing the user to track their progress, adjust settings to fit their preferences, and even gain personalized fitness plans based on the data collected from the equipment,” notes Bejan. “The feedback, insights and guidance help to increase user safety, and enhance member outcomes tenfold.”

Leveraging Tech to Enhance the Wellness Journey

For any fitness or wellness brand, winning is about creating differentiation, heightening the user experience and offering the best results. 

“By leveraging the power of educational content and hardware Integration with a custom app, manufacturers can step into an era of connected, educational content that sets their products apart,” said Secosan.

This technology can have a place in fitness and wellness anywhere.

“The gym of the future is all about learning, staying connected, and having better experiences, whether you’re working in a club, on the road in a hotel, in your company fitness center or at home,” says Bejan. “It’s about using tech to learn more, feel more, and do more while being part of a community you love. This future gym is where we all come together, using tech to make our wellness journey even better.”