[INTERVIEW] Indoor cycling game Zwift attracts Korean cyclists

Steven Beckett, vice president of marketing and customer acquisition, poses in front of bicycles with the Zwift program running on the computer screen at the DKCA shop in Seoul, Friday. / Courtesy of Zwift

By Kim Ji-soo

Steve Beckett's earliest memory of Seoul is of watching the Summer Olympics 100-meter men's final between Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis in 1988 as a teen in northern England.

Last week, the vice president of marketing and customer acquisition at Zwift, a popular online bicycle training platform, visited the site in person. Riding past the Olympic Stadium where the two legendary athletes had competed, Beckett was in town take the pulse of Korea's vibrant cycling market. Of an estimated 10 million cyclists, the Zwift program is already seeing super-early adopters.

As he relived 30-year-old memories, he was reminded once again that sports should be fun. That is the message Zwift wants to send to people engaged in sports and fitness training; that they should have an enjoyable and rewarding time.

"The thing that people find enjoyable in our product is it most certainly enables them to exercise at home by riding with other people in the virtual world. When we look on the right leader board, there are people from Europe, Asia and North America, and they like being part of this global community," Beckett said in an interview held at the Trek store near Konkuk University. Zwift held a special event there to introduce the program to Korean riders.

Based in California, Zwift was co-founded in 2014 by CEO Eric Min, whose parents emigrated from South Korea to the United States in the early 1970s.

As an online riding program, it allows professional cyclists to train indoors before hitting the outdoors and also all cyclists to ride when weather, traffic and time don't permit. Riders can download it onto their computers, iPhones and iPads, train indoors and invite multiple players from around the globe to participate in group riding. The company has been receiving significant attention from investors, including Korean bicycle maker Samchully.

"Basically what we do is we gamify for fitness. The gamification of fitness shows you literally how to trick the human mind to exercise more. That is computer gaming technology, the psychology of computer gaming, how you get someone to work out more. This is for everyone, from the best athlete to someone who wants to lose weight," said Beckett, who himself is based in London.

As the company looks to push its marketing in Korea in earnest this fall, Beckett, who was in Korea for the first time, noted some of his observations of Korean cyclists and the community.

"I think my observation is that it is a very brand-driven market. There is a middle-class aspirational culture going on. Everybody is self conscious over the world. People look to define themselves by what they own, what they wear and what coffee they drink; people are conscious of brands. That comes with being in tribes; there is a herding mentality among people," and that applies to cycling as well, Beckett noted.

He also said "Korean cyclists are extremely seasonal," meaning they may go outdoors in perfect conditions and not ride during bad weather.

An image of the London Trail available on Zwift, an online cyclist training platform / Courtesy of Zwift

To use Zwift, one needs a bike and a smart trainer. For those looking for a hassle-free experience, Zwift is currently installed at cyclezon in Yeoksam-dong in southern Seoul. There, users can rent bikes. Then a computer screen in front will run Zwift, allowing the rider to choose from various trails. Before that, a user can enter his or her height and weight, and then an avatar of the user appears on the screen and guides the user along the trail. The scenery on the screen is pleasing, and pedaling with one's avatar makes the cycling experience enjoyable. Other cyclists from other parts of the world can join the user for fun group riding.

Zwift is also available at Around 3000 Cello Flagship Store in Apgujeong-dong, and in other sites listed in the link (http://www.zwift.com/zed#/KR).

In November 2015, after 18 months of offering beta versions, Zwift launched a $10 non-contract monthly subscription service. The company now has 120,000 paying subscribers and 300,000 users who have downloaded the app and created an account. The company's revenue has grown three times year-on-year since 2014.

"Our biggest group ride was 1,700 people from all over the world. We try to pitch ourselves as a problem-solver; wherever you are in the world, every hour, there should be something for you to do; whether a casual ride or others, there should be something to do with other people. You're at home on your own, but you're participating in something with other people. Like a fun run or quick ride," Beckett said.

Beckett said he saw good prospects for Korea. In fact, 15 percent of the company's investment comes from South Korea, Beckett said.

Zwift, which only worked on high-powered computer game PCs in the beginning, now works on the iPhone, and later this year on Android phones as well.

Zwift plans to enter the Korean market in earnest in fall, and provide a truly localized brand for Korean consumers, using Korean language in the game and on its website, social media and payment systems.

"Generally, people want to better themselves. The gamification of fitness is relevant to 100 percent of people who want to better themselves by keeping healthy," he said.