What's the big deal with Gymshark?

It's safe to say that Gymshark have taken the world by storm. With an Instagram following in excess of 3.9 million people and a 2018 gross profit of £74 million, the sportswear company have burst onto the scene with aplomb. But why have Gymshark become so popular? For some readers, the question might be- who are Gymshark? But that's enough rhetorics- I'm going to peel back the edges of this shark-infested brand and discuss how this global business, founded in 2012, became the world's hottest fitness clothing retailer.

What makes it so popular? 

The ability of the business to attract a younger target audience is a massive factor in the success of Gymshark. With fitness clothing trending and incremental steps towards the onus placed upon physical activity, this untapped market was immediately capitalised on and boosted the athleisure industry immensely.

The men's and women's clothing brand also put the customer first- but this isn't a new approach! Although businesses have been taking the customer into consideration evermore increasingly in recent years, with improvements in artificially intelligent chat support, faster delivery times and constant innovative thinking- Gymshark is a business that actually cares. I don't mean in the 'shoulder to cry on' sense, but with slight reworks on already existing products and the inclusion of influencers on their website and social media igniting a more effective business to customer relationship. They took simple products such as:

Women's gym wear and made them higher waisted with more defined elastic, allowing for a more flattering look.Men's gym wear and made the gym wear flatter the physique with a tighter fit with colours that (for both genders) can often be worn away from the leisure scene.

 But is this really that different? 

This approach may not be revolutionary and there may be already be a hundred other brands out there that are doing similar things (albeit with less success), but it all boils down to the personable approach taken by those that have stuck with the company since the early beginnings of the mammoth gym wear brand.
In an intriguing interview with Ben Francis (founder of Gymshark), he discusses how long gruelling hours spent manufacturing Gymshark kit, mixed with networking at bodybuilding expos and the very early rise of influencer marketing (perhaps attributable to Ben), helped see the business become what it is today. Reaching out to YouTuber's as the main source of marketing material was the key innovation that then saw Instagram pave the way for the infamous influencers of today's generation.
The key difference in Gymshark's approach to attracting custom is the manner in which the business is humbly rising to global recognition. No boastful arrogance or cheap marketing ploys- just entrepreneurial thinking and determination resulting in a business worthy of worldwide awareness.

Innovation Hub and Influencer Fitness  

The future of Gymshark also looks bright with the creation of their new innovation hub, which promises to bring further innovation to the industry in the form of research and more people-centred approaches to gym work. But away from the steps taken to develop future thinking; influencer fitness and health plans were also leaked online.

These plans were created to help influencers boast a physique worthy of wearing the kit and representing Gymshark. Whether it is ethically correct for those with less knowledge of healthy eating or fitness should be allowed to promote such plans is for another day- but even these steps to cover all avenues could highlight a business crying out for world domination.