Wearable X Giving the Unmotivated Reason to Try Yoga
STRIKE A POSE: Apparently, some things in life really are free — at least on a trial basis.
Non-exercisers, procrastinators and WFHers beware: Wearable X is offering a 30-day free trial for its Nadi X yoga pants, a smart workout pant with washable technology. Introduced two years ago, the $249 styles are meant to help yogis elevate their practices.
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After testing the free trial earlier in the pandemic to see what the return rate would be, Wearable X chief executive officer Billie Whitehouse was encouraged by how low that turned out to be. “We wanted to do the first 30 days for free so that people could really get it in their hands. Once they get it in their hands we’ve seen that they don’t want to take it off. They keep using it and it’s a very prosperous experience.” she said.
At-home yogis practicing without the assistance of a teacher, mirrors and other practitioners to emulate can use Nadi X as a step-by-step guide to move into a yoga pose with guidance and feedback for improvement. Through the Nadi X app, which is available in the App Store, the frequency and strength of each vibration sequence is meant to make the user aware of and more focused of each movement. The app indicates the success of each yoga posture to the wearer after each pose.
While Wearable X already supported the at-home lifestyle pre-pandemic, the company understood that not everyone has the budget to try its products. “For us, the most important thing is how do we support everyone going through a really rough time?” Whitehouse said.
The initial trial resulted in a 20 to 30 percent increase in sales, and similar gains are expected from the new trial. Shoppers can use Afterpay to pay over three months, if they choose to.
The $12.9 billion haptics market is expected to increase by upward of $23 billion to reach nearly $41 billion by 2027. Haptic clothing — which include such as styles with sensors, buzzers and other embedded technology and are also known as wearables — is far from widespread. Noting how the fashion industry doesn’t often talk about the haptics market, Whitehouse said, “But it’s so tangible to what we do. That’s every button that has a response, every phone screen that you interact with. It’s really the essence of touch and how you physically respond to touch. That is what we have always focused on as a company. We are a haptic platform and the leading haptic company in the world.”
As gyms, yoga studios and boutique fitness outposts have reopened in most states and group fitness classes are being resumed by some, many fitness enthusiasts are opting to stay away from the crowds for now. Equinox, for example, has welcomed back thousands of members to its clubs while also amping up virtual offerings including live classes.
Knowing that at-home fitness will continue to evolve into new and interesting areas, Whitehouse is looking into recovery and pain mitigation. “The injuries that we have from being stuck behind screens for a year are not really going away. We’re really focused on, ‘How do we help those people, who have been slumped on the couch or slumped behind a computer?’”
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