Under Armour has seen better days. After a rough third quarter, the company decided to shut down its UA HealthBox offering, which consists of three connected devices — an activity tracker, a heart rate monitor and a smart scale.
Under Armour will continue to make connected apparel, and will also keep working on its suite of fitness apps along with recently-announced software offerings for Samsung Gear smartwatches.
“Our first shoe using HOVR [Under Armour’s new cushioning system] also features our next generation embedded connected sensor that tracks distance, cadence, pace, and shoe life,” Patrik Frisk, the company’s president and COO, said on Under Armour’s third quarter call. “This ties into our overall Connected Fitness strategy of connecting runners to our global community through our running apps. The HOVR launch demonstrates the first true manifestation of digital meeting physical, providing runners with advantages that make them better, smarter, and capable of more than they ever knew possible.”
The UA HealthBox and its component devices will be sold through the end of the year, and then Under Armour will stop supporting the product suite. Right now, these devices are heavily discounted on Under Armour’s website.
The HealthBox was unveiled less than two years ago in January 2016, and soon became a hit product. However, it wasn’t mentioned in the company’s more recent calls.
Meanwhile, Under Armour has started working with Samsung on special versions of its fitness apps — including MyFitnessPal, MapMyFitness, Endomondo, and UA Record — for the Samsung Gear Fit2, Gear S2, and Gear S3 wearables. Said apps have continued to grow in popularity, helping UA learn about consumers and drive sales.
“Our Connected Fitness strategy stretches beyond connected shoes with an ecosystem of nutrition, sleep, activity, and fitness,” Frisk said. “With more than 220 million registered users and growing, we continue to lead in digital health and fitness from athlete performance to athlete recovery, driving brand awareness and ultimately selling more shirts and shoes.”