Gatorade Gx Scan Patch
Source: Gatorade
Sports drinkmaker Gatorade launches its first-ever wearable device, the Gx Sweat Patch.
The patch is a one-time wearable that analyzes sweat to provide athletes with insight into their athletic performance and hydration levels. It is Gatorade’s latest product at a time when the sports drink market is increasingly crowded.
The patch costs $ 24.99 and will be available online and in Dick’s Sporting Goods stores Monday.
Gatorade says the patch should be worn on the left inner arm during a single workout. It will fill with sweat while the athlete is exercising. After completing the workout, users can scan their patch with the Gatorade app, Gx, to reveal their unique sweat profile.
The sweat profile is based on sweat levels, forearm sodium loss, body weight and exercise type or intensity. The results provide hydration strategies to maximize performance and prevent cramps or dehydration. The results can tell you everything from fluid and sodium loss to the rate at which you sweat, and compare it to other workouts.
“The Gx System represents the evolution of how we serve athletes. By providing intelligence to help them make choices about everything from their fuel plan to training and recovery, we support athletes like never before,” said Brett O ‘ , director of Gatorade. Brien.
According to Duane Stanford, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest, the smart patch is a smart venture for PepsiCo, Gatorade’s parent company. He said this ties in with one of the big trends the industry is seeing, the rise of personalization and customization.
“If you’re able to personalize and customize, you can often do that at a premium price. It’s something that can increase your margins,” he said.
Stanford said this also helps Gatorade maintain brand credibility and market dominance when the category is more crowded than ever before.
Gatorade dominates the American sports drink category and has a 72% market share in retail, according to Euromonitor. Coke’s Powerade falls in a distant second, with a 16% share. BodyArmor has begun to take market share and has shown that the market is no longer a horse race.
Another benefit Stanford sees is that Gatorade leverages its sports science that has long touted it and sets it apart from competitors. The brand will use insights and aggregated exercise data from fitness apps including Apple Health, Strava, Garmin, as well as its own data from Gatorade Sports Science Institute. This will enable Gatorade to provide athletes with better recommendations on training, recovery and nutrition, Stanford said.
“Ultimately, our goal is to make the advanced science and services we provide elite athletes available to anyone looking to improve their performance,” said O’Brien.
He says that democratizing lab-based sweat testing allows everyday athletes to get one step closer to the pros.
“This is just another example of them not only resting on their lead, but also going to defend their ground,” Stanford said.