14 Dec Under Armour Doubles Down On Smart Footwear In 2017
Under Armour keeps digging its heels into smart apparel with the announcement of three new UA Record Equipped running shoes that will debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
UA Record Equipped is a smart feature within the footwear that extends the tracking capability of MapMyRun by providing detailed workout stats, such as cadence, real-time pace information and the mileage lifetime of the shoe with the added benefit of never needing a recharge.
Each of the three new models were designed to provide digital tracking insights for its wearer to better understand recover via muscle fatigue insights and therefore maximize personal performance.
With MapMyRun under UA’s belt, the company has powered the shoes exclusively by this digital running tool.
The brand’s first smart shoe was released earlier in 2016, and with footwear as a major growth driver for Under Armour, the company plans to more than double its number of units of Connected Footwear worldwide in 2017 with global distribution to North America, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and for the first time, Greater China.
“Footwear is a crucial performance weapon for runners, and what we at Under Armour have placed at the forefront of our innovation pipeline,” said Kevin Haley, president of category management and innovation, Under Armour. “When we looked at advanced tools used by elite athletes, it was a natural fit to integrate the cutting edge functionalities of our Connected Fitness mobile apps to uniquely enhance our newest running footwear, making those tools available to all athletes. We’re excited to follow the success of our first smart shoe with this robust global rollout of connected footwear to help athletes around the world maximize their training.”
The new line of UA Record Equipped running shoes runs between $140 and $160 and will be open for pre-order come January 5, 2017.