Whoop lowers subscription price

Today’s surprise news is that Whoop is bucking industry trends and inflation by lowering prices. Is this an admission that its offering was overpriced or is there something else at play?

Recommended: Detailed Whoop Review & Critique

The Details

More Info

dcrainmaker also today posted more information on this price fall and goes into detail on the too-good-to-be-true warranty and its links to the murky depths of equine heart rate monitoring. Read about that here (links to dcrainmaker.com).

Ray also shares some of Whoop’s short-term plans and he probably has also seen the new beta screen layouts leaked to reddit. I had this information some time ago but agreed not to share it. In any case, Whoop seems to have made it public, so here we go.

1. A stress monitor “with Dr. Andrew Huberman”
2. A weightlifting feature to track reps and “a bunch of stuff related to your workout”
3. The weightlifting feature will also show muscular strain
4. New Recovery details
5. New home screen redesign

Reading between the lines

Before discussing Whoop’s new pricing, it’s worth noting that the fitness industry is currently experiencing varying degrees of turbulence. The cycling industry has seen layoffs at Zwift and several other negative developments, while Shimano has reported an 18% sales increase in bike components for the last quarter, seeming to buck the trend but which may be a rebound from earlier de-stocking. Non-electronic running gear may be less affected, as my anecdotal evidence suggests ever more casual runners are taking to the streets. However, the days of high-volume sales of high-end running electronics could be numbered.

Gyms are also facing challenges in the post-Covid environment, and Whoop competes in this space as well as in running. With its new pricing strategy, Whoop is clearly targeting long-term subscribers, offering the biggest savings on the longest subscription periods and no savings on the monthly plan. While this pricing approach is not surprising, what is surprising is that Whoop is lowering its prices at a time when other companies are raising them, sometimes significantly.

There is a somewhat hidden but positive trend in the fitness industry: athletes are becoming more aware of the benefits of heart rate variability (HRV) for guiding their training and recovery. This sub-sector may still be experiencing growth, and companies like Whoop, Garmin, Polar, Oura, Athlytic, and others may be benefiting from it.

As someone who produces a fair amount of content on Whoop and is an affiliate, I know that my data does not show any decline in Whoop’s fortunes. Interest in its product is rising, and the sales that I observe are also increasing slightly. While Whoop may not be a product for everyone, it seems to be doing well despite the challenges facing the fitness industry.