(Courtesy of Strava)
Social fitness platform Strava launched a new subscription model on Wednesday. Called Summit, the model replaces Strava Premium, with tiered, lower-cost options that break down Strava’s features into three packs: Training, Safety, and Analysis.
“Strava is a community of athletes helping each other achieve their goals,” said Strava CEO James Quarles in a statement. “Ninety-two percent of Strava athletes who set goals remain active ten months later. Summit Packs are designed to better tailor and personalize our features to members’ needs. Whether your goal is returning from injury or training for your first marathon, Summit Packs provide the performance tools you need along the way.”
Each option is aimed toward athletes with different goals. The Training pack includes live performance data and post-race analysis. Analysis has similar features, but without the focus on racing. And Safety gives access to Strava Beacon, allowing up to three trusted contacts to see an athlete’s location when he or she is out for training runs or rides.
Users can purchase all three as an annual bundle for $59.99, or just one for $23.99. Strava is also offering monthly packages, for $7.99 and $2.99, respectively.
SportTechie Takeaway
The majority of Strava’s base uses the free version of the company’s app to track and share their activity. Strava has been adding both paid and free features as it hopes to attract more users, and then convert those users to subscribers. In 2016, it launched the Beacon service for paid subscribers. Last year it added a feature to allow fans to follow the posts of select athletes and also launched integrations with gyms and other apps. In 2017, Strava claimed to be adding 1 million users every 40 days.
In early 2018, reports surfaced that the company’s Global Heat Map had revealed sensitive information about activity on U.S. military bases, leading Congressional Democrats to call for an investigation. The map was published using data recorded by military personnel between 2015 and late 2017. In response, Strava promised to work with military and government officials to resolve similar problems in the future, and to increase awareness of the app’s privacy tools.
