Asics joins the digital sports race with Runkeeper acquisition

You can download Runkeeper from the App Store for free.

Runkeeper is one of a number of fitness platforms to be snapped up by sports clothing makers in recent times.

So it is safe to say that this trend is in its early phases and as long as fitness customers will continue to demand more innovation from the products they’re using, it will certainly not stop here.

In late 2015 Runkeeper cut 30 percent of its workforce to focus on growing revenue rather than the overall user base. Prior to this, the company launched their own app called My ASICS, which obviously did not do as well compared to other fitness apps like the Nike+.

Jason Jacobs, the founder and CEO of Runkeeper, said in a post on social publishing platform Medium that the acquisition won’t change much for users of the app. He did note, however, that Asics will help the company realize its dream of embedding the Runkeeper platform in physical products. He continues by explaining how both companies have very similar visions, with the advancement of fitness experience being at the center of both their objectives. “And from people using our Shoe Tracker feature in the app, we know that Asics shoes are by far the ones that Runkeeper users run in the most!”

Jacobs spoke with MobiHealthNews recently about big plans to take on apparel companies like Under Armour and Adidas, which recently acquired some of Runkeeper’s biggest competitors.

Though Asics manufactures a range of sporting apparel, the company is probably better known for its sports shoes, which are particularly popular among runners. For Asics the easiest route to embracing the digital world is to acquire companies that were born in the digital world. ASICS added it would benefit from both Runkeeper’s technology and “a management team with extensive experiences in this field”.