Two months after introducing its private label apparel collection at Nordstrom, Peloton is expanding its reach to Target.
An assortment of men’s and women’s fitness apparel and accessories, including shoes, socks and water bottles, was introduced on the Target website on Friday. Mats, dumbbells and resistance bands are also included in the assortment, according to Jen Cotter, chief content officer, who also oversees the apparel offering at the fitness company.
“While we can’t share sales data at this time, we are really encouraged by the positive response we are seeing from Nordstrom customers,” Cotter told WWD. “Early data shows us that men’s apparel is resonating with online customers, a key target audience for Peloton’s recent ‘Find Your Power’ marketing campaign.”
The majority of Peloton’s members are female, but during the holidays, the company launched “Find Your Power,” a marketing campaign targeted to guys featuring NFL players and brothers T.J. and J.J. Watt in humorous yet competitive commercials of them working out with Peloton.
The decision to sell its apparel at other retailers is part of the company’s move to serve its members wherever they shop. According to research from eMarketer and cited by Peleton, online platforms where third-party sellers can list and sell their products directly to consumers are popular with apparel and fashion shoppers with 42 percent using them for inspiration, 37 percent for search and 24 percent for purchases.
Before selling to Nordstrom in November, Peloton Apparel had been available on the company’s website and in its stores. But selling on Target Plus, the retailer’s third-party digital marketplace brings the opportunity to reach a new customer, Peloton said.
Although pricing at Nordstrom and Target is different, Cotter said the product and pricing for both will be similar at the initial launch at Target. A full zip jacket, for example, is $68 on both sites and a short-sleeve T-shirt is $48.
Cotter said: “We plan to monitor sales data and adjust offerings to match different consumer price points depending on how offerings resonate with shoppers.”
In the early years, the apparel offering had been spearheaded by Jill Foley, wife of Peloton founder John Foley. He left the company in early 2022 and his wife, who had served as vice president of apparel, exited as well. While collaborations had been a key part of the mix under Jill Foley, they were sidelined as she sought to build a business under the Peloton name alone. But they returned under Cotter and while the third-party offering is for Peloton Apparel only, the company’s primary apparel partner is Lululemon. It has also partnered with Spiritual Gangster, GoodPark NYC and the golf brand Redvanly.
The last couple of years have also been a struggle for the Peloton Interactive corporation, which has been fighting to return to profitability. But the picture was brighter last fall when the company reported that in the fiscal first quarter ended Sept. 30, Peloton posted higher than expected sales of $586 million and a net loss of $900,000 compared with a net loss of $159.3 million in the year-ago period. Also, this month, Ford executive Peter Stern, who was the cofounder of Apple Fitness+, took the reins as chief executive officer.
