Why would Lululemon spend $500M to acquire Mirror?

Lululemon, the purveyor of expensive athleisure and activewear, is betting on the future of personalized remote exercise as a way to reach customers by acquiring Mirror, a home fitness start-up that sells a $1,495 wall-mounted machine for streaming workout classes.

The acquisition will also expand a “content creation partnership” between Mirror and Lululemon. Classes like meditation that are taught by Lululemon’s “global ambassadors” are already available on the Mirror platform. (A key part of Lululemon’s marketing strategy has long been to team up with people like athletes and yogis to promote its brand.)