Lululemon last week announced that they would be ending the sales of the Mirror, a high-end workout smart mirror that allows users to choose from 10,000+ workout classes, including on-demand and live workouts with Mirror trainers. Peloton – Lululemon’s new partner – will help to ease the transition for current Mirror subscribers.
The move from Lululemon comes as the athleisure giant looks to shift its focus away from hardware and subscriptions, reflecting the evolving landscape of the connected fitness industry. According to Bloomberg, the Mirror companion app will no longer be available to new users by the end of this year, but it will continue to be available for current Mirror owners; these changes will begin on November 1.
Reflecting on the Mirror
It was in the summer of 2020, amidst a pandemic, that Lululemon acquired Mirror for $500 million; people were afraid to socialize, the Center for Disease Control recommended only small group settings of no more than 6-15 people, and therefore, home fitness was booming as everyone was getting their workouts in however and whenever they could. Not unlike the cost of its workout apparel, owning a Mirror was and is pricey (you can still buy them for now), with models starting at $995 and going all the way up to $1450 for a package Lululemon calls “Mirror Family.”
That $500 million purchase, however, has proved effectively worthless as just three and a half years later, Mirrors will no longer be sold via Lululemon. (Ironically, the acquisition was meant to rival Peloton’s popularity.)
On an earnings call earlier this year, Lululemon’s CFO Meghan Frank said, “Mirror hardware sales during the holiday season came in below expectations,” also noting that Mirror as a whole was a “very small portion” of management’s five-year plan.
So, really, it should come as no surprise that they are extinguishing the hardware sales of Mirror at the end of 2023.
Don’t sweat it
Even though the hardware sales of the Mirror are coming to an end, if you are a current owner of a Mirror, you’ll still be able to get your workouts in. Lululemon will continue to offer new classes through the end of the year, at which point users should continue to have access to Lululemon’s old content in addition to Peloton’s new digital content.
Speaking of Peloton content, with the help of the five-year partnership, you will be granted access to Peloton’s rich library of classes – everything from HIIT to yoga to running to rowing, with new classes added weekly. For those who have a Mirror but don’t pay for the subscription to the companion app, a smaller batch of Peloton classes will be available for use with your Mirror.
The Mirror companion app costs subscribers $39/month, and it will stay the same for current subscribers. If you bought the Mirror less than 30 days ago, you can still return it for a refund.
Connect the Watts’ Take
What’s interesting about the Mirror’s failure to launch is that it had all the markings of success, especially given that it was purchased by Lululemon in the summer of 2020 and especially given that owning a Peloton can cost more than the price of a Mirror; Peloton has seen undeniable success in both ownership and subscriptions.
As reported by our Colin Jenkins, another smart mirror company, FITIRE, shut down this year as well; unlike Lululemon, they decided to provide members with access to their content without continuing to pay a subscription, something I am certain Lululemon/Peloton/Mirror/Studio subscribers would appreciate.
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