In a decisive move to redefine the connected fitness landscape, iFIT is undertaking one of the industry’s most comprehensive technological transformations. The company, parent to brands like NordicTrack and ProForm, is moving beyond hardware sales to create a seamless, intelligent, and deeply personal digital ecosystem for its users. This ambitious overhaul is designed to wrap around the customer’s lifestyle, anticipating their needs whether they are at home or traveling, and positioning the company for a future driven by data and artificial intelligence.
The core of this strategy involves a complete, ground-up rebuild of its technology stack to replace decades of legacy infrastructure. At the helm of this initiative is Jason McMurdie, Senior Vice President of Technology, who in less than two years has guided a monumental effort to unify fragmented systems and implement cutting-edge platforms. The goal is to solve the critical challenge of a “data swamp,” as described by CEO Kevin Duffy, where siloed and slow information hampered the ability to make informed, real-time strategic decisions. This transformation is not merely an update but a fundamental re-engineering of how iFIT operates, from its internal enterprise systems to the end-user experience.
Unifying a Fractured Data Landscape
Every major transformation begins with a catalyst, and for iFIT, it was the realization that its legacy IT systems were an obstacle to its global ambitions. Data was trapped in disparate systems that updated at different intervals, making a real-time view of the business nearly impossible and forcing teams to rely on spreadsheets and guesswork. The first step in dismantling this fragmented environment was a complete overhaul of its core infrastructure. The team executed a flawless migration, moving the majority of its systems to the AWS Cloud and co-locating the remainder in a modern facility. The transition was so seamless that business operations continued without interruption.
With a stable cloud foundation established, iFIT turned its attention to the heart of its enterprise: the ERP system. The company is now in the midst of a global rollout of SAP S/4HANA, a project McMurdie calls a “keystone foundation block” for its future strategy. The objective extends beyond simply replacing an old system; it aims to create a single, real-time source of truth for the entire organization. This unified platform will provide immediate visibility into critical metrics such as inventory levels, shipment statuses, container tracking, incoming orders, and accurate financials. For a company that operates at the speed of its customers, who expect instant answers and reliable delivery, this real-time capability is a game-changer.
Engineering the Customer Journey with AI
While overhauling its back-end systems, iFIT has simultaneously focused on revolutionizing its customer-facing technology to create a frictionless and intelligent experience. This involves a strategic shift in e-commerce, customer support, and personalization, leveraging AI to build stronger relationships with its six million members.
A Headless Commerce Revolution
iFIT is moving away from monolithic e-commerce platforms toward a modern, headless architecture powered by Commerce Layer, Content Stack, and Stripe. This microservices-based approach decouples the front-end customer experience from the back-end commerce engine, granting the company significant flexibility and speed. The new architecture has already been implemented in the U.S., Canada, Germany, and the U.K. with zero business disruption. This agility allows iFIT to adapt quickly to local market preferences, such as rapidly introducing diverse and country-specific payment options like Klarna. McMurdie noted that under the old system, such a change would have taken months; now, new functionality can be rolled out in a fraction of that time.
Intelligent and Proactive Support
One of the most impactful areas of iFIT’s digital transformation is its work with Salesforce, utilizing its Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Einstein AI platform. The initial focus has been on optimizing the contact center by using AI-powered chatbots to handle common queries, such as order status or delivery changes, freeing human agents to address more complex issues. The company is now piloting a proof of concept for AI-powered, self-service troubleshooting. This would allow a customer with a technical issue, like a squeaky belt, to be guided through a series of questions by an AI tool that directs them to the correct knowledge article for a quick resolution. This philosophy of proactive support extends to logistics, with integrated systems providing real-time SMS updates from packing and shipping to final-mile delivery, giving customers transparency and control.
Strategic Partnerships for Global Expansion
iFIT’s global ambition is most clearly demonstrated by its carefully planned expansion into China. Recognizing that China operates within a unique technological ecosystem with distinct consumer behaviors, the company understood that a standard market-entry strategy would fail. Success required a deep, tailored partnership with a local expert, leading iFIT to collaborate with Alibaba. This partnership goes far beyond simple cloud hosting. To navigate the “Great Firewall” and ensure a fast, reliable streaming experience, iFIT worked with Alibaba and AWS to replicate its entire content infrastructure within China.
The collaboration also addresses the nuances of the Chinese digital economy, where integrated payment systems like Alipay and Weipay are favored over credit cards and email. iFIT is leveraging Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure to run a separate SAP Business One system for the region and is implementing Salesforce using Alibaba’s bespoke extensions, which are tailored to local marketing approaches and data privacy laws. What began as a vendor relationship has blossomed into a true strategic partnership, with Alibaba proactively offering solutions that have helped accelerate iFIT’s roadmap in the region.
Driving Transformation from Within
Underpinning all the technological change at iFIT is a profound focus on the human element, both for customers and employees. McMurdie has championed a cultural shift within the IT department, transforming it from a reactive “order-taking organisation” into a proactive, strategic business partner. The results are quantifiable and stark: an internal survey score that measures the department’s effectiveness soared from negative 45 to positive 11 in less than two years. This turnaround was achieved not by replacing staff, but by investing in and empowering the existing team through formal career paths and professional development opportunities.
This people-first philosophy guides the introduction of new technology across the business. Using a “crawl, walk, run” approach, the leadership team prioritizes transparency, setting realistic post-go-live milestones for complex systems like SAP and training users for real-world scenarios to build confidence and reduce anxiety. McMurdie credits his leadership team—Lisa McDaniel, Emily Cellar, Nigel Sopp, Brian Peters, and Wade Nielsen—as the key drivers of this successful change. His guiding principle is to “train people well enough that they can leave, but create an environment where they don’t want to.”
The Road Ahead: Accelerating Innovation
With its foundational platforms for ERP, e-commerce, and data now being implemented, iFIT’s focus for the next 12 to 18 months will shift to leverage and acceleration. The pace of change is not expected to slow down; instead, the company will begin to unlock the advanced capabilities of its new stack, including inbuilt AI tools, to further optimize business processes. As clean, real-time data flows from SAP and Snowflake, iFIT’s analytics engines will deliver deeper insights into customer behavior, shaping everything from supply chain decisions to the personalized workout recommendations delivered by its AI Coach.
The company also plans to advance its proprietary AI, exploring innovations like those tested with Alibaba, where an American trainer could appear in a new video speaking fluent Mandarin in their own voice and tone. However, this rapid innovation will be guided by thoughtful, strategic decision-making that manages the business’s capacity to absorb change. For iFIT, the transformation is a continuous journey, not a final destination. By marrying a state-of-the-art technology stack with a deeply human-centric approach, the company is forging a more intelligent, responsive, and personal future for fitness.