iFIT Inc. transforms fitness purchases for brands including NordicTrack with Contentstack

iFIT Inc. is a global leader in fitness technology that brings fitness to life through its portfolio of brands: NordicTrack, ProForm, Freemotion, and the iFIT app. From cardio and strength training to recovery, iFIT empowers athletes at every stage of their fitness journey. 

As a pioneer in digital fitness instruction, iFIT Inc. sought to keep its consumer experience competitive. To stay ahead, iFIT Inc. aimed to replace its monolithic backend with a flexible, future-focused global technology stack—starting with a headless CMS. 

“People are more comfortable making large purchases online than they used to be, but there is a customer journey involved where most visitors make multiple visits over the course of several weeks or months before they buy,” Wade Nielson, Senior Director of Software Engineering, iFIT, said. “The digital experience is really important, and the CMS plays a large role in that. We have 13 eCommerce websites globally, and it’s not just a product page with a gallery and a checkout. It’s a content-heavy, immersive and personalized experience where we engage customers and tell them a compelling story — showcasing the product with video, images, and even virtual showrooms.”

iFIT's previous CMS was not scalable and difficult to customize. Additionally, iFIT has over 36 sites across nine countries, all managed by different content teams. To spin up new sites, there was a lot of duplication of effort, and teams had to maintain content in multiple places. 

After a thorough research process, iFIT found that Contentstack’s out-of-the-box localization capabilities were superior to any other CMS available. “The localization and controls were the driving factor. Contentstack had controls over who could access what content, and you could separate those roles so that someone in Europe couldn’t update content in the U.S.” Nielson said. “Other solutions had localization tools — but I wouldn’t call those options enterprise-ready.”

By migrating to a headless CMS, iFIT is now able to streamline changes to content across regions for different audiences. For example, in Canada some U.S. products have specialized branding or wording, so the sites can share the same base product — localized for different markets. 

Within six months, NordicTrack Canada was launched, followed by NordicTrack U.S. Through A/B testing of the old and new site, iFIT saw immediate improvements across the board in metrics such as site performance, revenue, and conversions. 

The customer experience is now more personalized. Leveraging a curated dynamic product model, customers can choose from a wide variety of customizations for their equipment and purchases. The new approach includes subscription memberships for iFIT content, warranties for equipment, and even tailored delivery methods to meet customer requirements. 

Moving to headless architecture has allowed iFIT to pick and choose a best-of-breed technology stack, getting the exact tooling that meets their needs. Using Next.js for web development, Algolia for search, Stripe and Klarna for payments, AWS for synchronization, Google Analytics for tracking and analysis, Commerce Layer for e-commerce and Cloudinary for media management, the tech stack is tailored to the business’s needs, leveraging the full benefits of headless technology as its foundation. 

One powerful example of how iFIT’s tech stack works in harmony is on the Product Detail Pages (PDPs), where multiple best-of-breed solutions come together to deliver a seamless customer experience. Contentstack powers the majority of the content, including product descriptions, feature highlights, and the built-in comparison tool. Real-time product price and availability are surfaced through Algolia, with accuracy verified by Commerce Layer. To complete the immersive experience, high-quality video content is delivered via Cloudinary. This composable approach ensures each PDP feels like a tailored, high-impact destination rather than just a static product page.

By combining data between the commerce layer and the CMS, iFIT’s composable architecture has enabled an immersive, brand-driven experience for each customer. 

The next steps for iFIT are to migrate the remainder of its websites to complete the consolidation of all of its sites under a unified architecture. The team hopes to have all European websites launched by the end of 2025. Looking ahead, headless technology means the sky's the limit for digital experiences, and iFIT would like to be able to move beyond the web, and sell apparel and content directly from the product itself. 

Key wins for iFIT with Contentstack include: 

• Global brand consolidation: 13 global eCommerce websites are in the process of consolidation under a unified architecture, with streamlined content management processes across the world. 
• Out-of-the-box localization and roles: Content teams across nine countries can be responsible for their own content, easily shareable across regions but without fear of human error. 
• Enterprise-level scale: A foundation in headless technology means iFIT can easily integrate best-of-breed technologies for any use case, and scale their operations globally.