In a move to create more robust wellness offerings at Lululemon, the brand has expanded its membership program to include outside fitness and wellness brands.
Since launching its complimentary membership program in 2022, which includes one-of-a-kind offerings in shopping, community, and fitness, Lululemon has grown the community to over 22 million members to date. The inaugural membership program, called Lululemon Membership, included offers such as membership events, early access to new product drops, receipt-free returns, free hemming, and exchange or credit on sale items. According to Jiamei Bai, Luluelmon’s svp of member engagement, however, the program was missing a key category: wellness.
“We were looking at how we can improve the program, and knowing wellbeing continues to be a top priority for our guests in North America, we were excited to expand the offering to include [perks] that will support our guests on their wellbeing journey,” Bai told Glossy.
This move comes during a time when consumers have shown an increased interest in wellness due to the health implications associated with the pandemic. Market research firm Statista found that, in 2020, the health and wellness market size worldwide was estimated at over $4.3 trillion. That figure is estimated to increase to almost $7 trillion by 2025.
The brand has expanded the program with the introduction of wellness- and wellbeing-focused “Partner Perks,” which launched in August. With the new initiative, Lululemon is leaning more heavily into the category by “providing guests with special access to wellness perks from a collective of like-minded brands,” according to a company statement. New and existing consumers will have access to the perks under the membership program, which will remain free to join.
“We identified three key [well-being] pillars: Sweat, Fuel and Restore, and curated 12 great partners who shared our vision. We worked together to craft not only a compelling offer for our members but to also introduce them to other like-minded communities and experiences that could support their wellbeing goals,” said Bai. Participants include AG1, Oura, La La Land Café, Life and Time, Barry’s, Sweetgreen, Supergoop and Erewhon, among others.
In terms of what’s next for the program, Bai said, “We will continue to look for new ways to elevate the membership experience [at Lululemon], which we believe will not only attract more of our guests to the program but, more importantly, keep our guest engaged with our brand and community.”
In June, Lululemon reported its first-quarter 2024 earnings, revealing that net revenue increased 10% to $2.2 billion. For its second-quarter 2024 earnings, Lululemon predicts its net revenue to be in the range of $2.4 billion to $2.42 billion, representing growth of 9-10%. In a statement regarding the latest earnings, Calvin McDonald, CEO of the brand, credited the brand’s innovation. “Guests responded well to our product innovations across categories, and we are pleased by the progress we are making to optimize our U.S. product assortment,” he said.
