Peloton engagement
Peloton was exploring how social features and short-form content could increase app engagement, strengthen retention, and help members feel more connected to trainers, communities, and their own progress.
Activating social engagement across the Peloton experience.
- Timeframe
2023
- Context
Peloton was interested in adding more social features inside the product to retain existing users and support user growth. The core question was whether social experiences could motivate people around their personal fitness goals and create healthier long-term engagement.
Research from the concept decks pointed to a shift toward app subscriptions, a need for easier workout discovery, strong member attachment to instructors, and social activity already happening outside the product in communities like Reddit.
- Solution
We reframed social as a set of engagement building blocks: belonging, positioning, supporting, bonding, and influencing. That framework helped the team evaluate where passive connection, peer support, competition, trainer affinity, and community leadership could fit into the Peloton experience.
The concept work explored short-form video and social product ideas such as trainer shorts, performance shorts, challenge mechanics, progress sharing, and content discovery based on member interests and fitness goals. The goal was to make social connection useful inside the workout journey instead of treating it as a separate feed.
- Thanks to
Justin White, Rishika Negi, Deepak Mishra, Pedro Otero, Sergei Drobner, and the Thoughtworks growth team partners.
