How has the year 2020 been for Wondercise?

As a result of the impact of the pandemic, people are forced to stay home and the stay-at-home economy has been boosting. Wondercise surfaced at a time when going out was not allowed or posed risks. Users are able to take part in training sessions remotely by using the application and we hope this brings light and convenience to people during this difficult year.

Following the recent releases of vaccines, lockdowns and travel bans are expected to get lifted in time. However, 2020 is also a year when working-from-home or working remotely became a part of the norms. Although we have started to accept and adapt to this way of living, we will be facing a world of many uncertainties. Wondercise is currently aiming to be able to freely switch between the online and offline world in a most beneficial way for our users.

What made you start Wondercise?

Technology is ever changing which creates a lot of potential. I believe the possibilities for the fitness industry integrated with the latest technology

are endless. Wondercise was founded six years ago based on my belief, as well as my expertise and love for the industry.

What sort of growth have you seen over the past few months?

Taiwan possesses top-tier hardware development skills but we lack hardware and software co-design talent. Wondercise has experienced numerous failures and has had to start over many times in the past, but we have also developed a strategy to nurture talents. As a result, in 2018, we launched the world’s first fitness application that includes the LIVE MOTION MATCHING function, and after 2 years of fine-tuning, Wondercise finally entered the European and US market in Q3, 2020. In view of this, we have received collaboration and business opportunities from many other enterprises. We have entered the expansion and accelerating stage, gaining more resources than ever, creating a market for smart fitness. We are currently branding ‘Wondercise’ and making the name known.

How competitive is the space?

There have been many well-known technology companies and industry competitions creating and developing new at-home fitness ideas and solutions but most are unaffordable. The industry also faces challenges and limitations, such as time and space. These elements restrict consumers from bringing these solutions into a typical family and living space. 

I have been keeping a close eye on the trend of IoT and the integration between software and hardware was a sure sign that we had to act fast. In response to the rapid changes in the digital world, we integrated smart technological developments with wearables, invested heavily in creating a diversity of training courses, and even developed our LIVE MOTION MATCHING technique. We were able to accurately tune and refine our motion matching technique without the need to spend money on expensive equipment or new setups, it was the perfect solution.

Why is now the right time for home-exercise market?

According to my long-term observation of the fitness market, as the technology of smart wearables and smart devices mature, the demand to satisfy fitness and wellness advocates continues to grow. The fitness market has been gradually moving towards a more diversified application of fitness technology. Online platforms that provide exercise consultation, exercise tracking, exercise audiovisuals, and exercise information have all been trending heavily. Trainers and trainees nowadays are becoming more reliant on the accuracy of data analyses and results to measure the performance of their workouts. They also often use their social media accounts to share their progress and results with friends and families. This has motivated more people to step into the world of fitness. It is clear that in the future, more and more people will become aware and care for their health and physical well-being. This also portrays an even greater potential in the fitness market.

At the same time, COVID-19 has turned consumer behavior across the world upside-down. It has only been roughly a decade since the trend of training and working out at the gym began, but because of the pandemic, attendances in online courses have increased exponentially. This shows that consumers are willing to do their training remotely with online tutorial videos and even weekly live-streaming courses. Doing and learning things remotely have become widely accepted and have been adapted into the everyday lifestyle. We are working on the development of fitness and technology integration and will continue to do so even post-pandemic. It is something that everyone can benefit from and we will strive to make it possible.

What other changes do you expect to see in the future for the industry?

We live in a digital-driven time, and the integration of fitness equipment and technology is essential for survival and to stay in the competition. We need data analyses and AI technology to come together and assist in making things more dimensional. For example, weight training can be achieved with better results by the aid of technology and displaying progress, and what adjustments should be done for better efficiency. The traditional brick-and-mortar gyms should also work on creating O2O business models, allowing members to take classes at home.

Over the next decade, when the idea of fitness is globalised, one should be able to obtain access to all types of training classes from across the world through exclusive applications and this will help bring exercising and sports to a whole new level. User experiences will become more dynamic and professional. Furthermore, this technology and the development of active sensors on wearables can be used in healthcare industries and other relevant fields. Individuals will be notified of any irregularities in their bodies as it happens, even when they think they feel fine. I want to be on the side of technology and pave a new path to a new world of fitness.

What future plans do you have for Wondercise?

Wondercise is currently exploring business opportunities and partnerships with other companies. I am hoping for Wondercise to go public eventually and make our products universal, reaching out to those with fitness needs and to provide people with better exercising experiences.

In terms of software development, our next goal is to allow the Wondercise application to be supported on different types of wearables so that users will be able to utilise and benefit from our services whether at home or at the gym.