With Var Group’s support, Elite has developed the My E-Training app, a software-as-a-service product that uses customers’ data to develop bespoke training programs integrated with the home trainers. The app stores the chronology of the user’s outdoor training sessions (not just slopes, speeds, and times but also route videos and other information) and replicates them during the indoor sessions on the home trainers. What’s more, it provides pedal stroke analysis and offers premium access to professional training sessions recorded with GPS data. COVID boosted demand for indoor services, leading to the need for greater scalability to handle the higher traffic generated by users’ seasonality and engagement, and more advanced data analysis capacity to produce more precise profiling and thus deliver more personalised services and products. These technological requirements have opened the way to a better user experience, leading to a stronger, more dynamic connection with the brand.

Secure, scalable, inexpensive data storage is needed to increase the app’s capability for personalisation and store the large amounts of data generated by users’ activities, so Elite opted for the AWS S3 infrastructure. Combining various AWS products, this has enabled the platform’s transformation from free to freemium (free for a test period, after which a subscription is required) and has permitted Elite to evolve its business model. Supported by the partnership with Var Group, the transition from a product-oriented business to a hybrid offering of products and services has given Elite the scope to introduce leading-edge solutions and fulfil its customers’ demands more effectively. The partnership has opened out new business opportunities and constructed stronger, more lasting relations with customers thanks to a holistic approach focused on their satisfaction.

Elite used the AWS assets for the dynamic scaling of its infrastructure in response to demand, guaranteeing the provision of digital services to its purchasers and optimal performance even at peak use times. Real-time data streaming enables live monitoring of training sessions, providing users with immediate feedback and performance metrics, while simultaneously improving the worldwide user experience: the AWS content distribution network has reduced lag and monitoring of visitor flows in specific geographical areas is now possible. Previously difficult to interpret, this data has now been transformed into a valuable asset for marketing strategies and strategic analyses. The AWS-based project carried through with Var Group has enabled Elite to create a closer, more direct connection with its customers, providing them with a personalised interactive interface that has generated greater engagement and consolidated the company’s relationship with users. By choosing a reliable, high-performing technology, Elite successfully managed a 200% surge in traffic during the pandemic and maintained its competitive advantage through the trouble-free, effective development of new functions.