admin It’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and statistics in an industry that changes constantly. As with all membership-based businesses, your core business is people. Your members are the ones who will help you succeed and increase your revenue, both online and offline.
You can make better business decisions by staying up to date with the latest information. Understanding the latest statistics on gym memberships will help you to learn which will bring members into your gym (or book them online) and how to retain them over time.
We look at gym membership statistics to see how they have changed in the last few years and what the future holds.
Stats on Gym Memberships: Then and Now
The fitness industry was more affected than others by the pandemic. The pandemic may have passed, but the impact on the fitness industry cannot be underestimated.
This section will provide a comparison of the fitness industry before the COVID-19 pandemic so that we can better understand the impact COVID-19 had on the latest statistics.
You can boost your gym membership retention by knowing these seven statistics
For many people, the gym is more than just a place to exercise. This is true even though the majority of the experience now takes place online. This is where people come together, socialize, and achieve their goals. We look at ten statistics and trends about gym membership to help you learn more about your gym members and increase engagement.
Retention is dependent on a successful Onboarding strategy
A 5% boost in customer retention could increase revenue for a company by 25-95%. Many people don’t realize that your retention strategy begins the moment a member signs up. Studies show that members who are properly onboarded are more likely to remain loyal. Dr. Paul Bedford, a fitness industry retention expert and acquisition expert, found that 87% of members who were correctly onboarded remained active at least six months after their initial onboarding.
Exercise in Groups Motivates New Members
It can be difficult for new members, even with the best intentions, to maintain a routine. What can you do to keep them on track?
Strava’s report on the 2018 Year in Sport explores how to improve the chances that New Year’s Resolutioners will stick to their exercise resolutions. A gym newbie can also apply this at any time during the year. In the report, it was found that 94% of those who set goals remained active nine months after they were made. Strava data shows that we tend to work out longer and run or cycle further when we exercise in groups.
In the first six months, half of the new members quit
In the first six months, most health clubs will lose half of their new members. A very small number of health clubs annually lose less than 30 percent of their members. Gym owners have a great opportunity to build meaningful relationships with their members. Unfortunately, cancellations of memberships are a part of business. If you see that you are losing members at a rate you find unacceptable, it is time to take action.
A survey on gym membership cancellation is one way to identify problems that may be the reason gym members are leaving. Ask members why they’re going. There are many reasons why members may go, but it might be something you can control. You can find out the reasons behind cancellations by using the survey. The problem can be quickly fixed so that another member does not leave for the same reason.
Home fitness is here to stay
The popularity of home fitness was already growing long before COVID-19. However, its popularity has soared since the pandemic. People are now looking for ways to maintain their physical activity level at home. Home fitness apps downloaded worldwide increased by 46% between Q1 and Q2 2020. This was at the beginning of the pandemic. The report states that 60% of Americans were so happy with their home workouts they did not plan to return to a gym.
According to the ABC Glofox Insights Report, online fitness classes are having a lasting impact on people’s behaviors. Online was found to have a positive effect on activity levels in Ireland when gyms reopened after the lockdown and stayed open. The report suggests that this will lead fitness business owners in the future to adopt a hybrid approach as they look for new revenue streams.
Victoria Thomas, the founder of JourneyFit, began her business as a means to provide open, accessible classes and platforms for fitness in her local community.
She started with just one location run by her and has grown to three (and counting).
The At-Home Gym is Investing in Equipment
Home gym equipment sales have increased, as we all know since gyms and fitness studios are closed. A report for eBay.com in 2020 compiled data from online retailers to put numbers on the home gym trend. In some categories, the report showed that online sales of fitness gear increased by up to 20 times between March and April 2020 compared to 2019. When reaching March and April 2019 numbers, sales of dumbbells had risen by 800%.
Members can now get the most out of their workouts at home. This is also a good incentive for members to keep their online gym subscription. Exercise equipment is a big investment. Users are making the most of it with every workout.
Long-term, this means that gym members can continue to work out at home as well as in the gym. Gyms and fitness studios need to offer a hybrid service if they are going to grow their membership and retain them for the long term.
Top Reasons to Quit the Gym
There are many reasons for someone to quit the gym. Top reasons include memberships not being used, lack of motivation, feeling like an outsider, moving away, and not seeing enough results.
Online gyms allow you to overcome many of these barriers. Digital offers are more flexible and accessible than ever, with different pricing levels to suit everyone. The “local gym” of a member doesn’t need to be in their locality anymore. They can access it from anywhere.
A study by Retention People found that members of health clubs are more likely to renew their memberships if they take part in Group Exercises. Researchers analyzed 10,000 UK fitness and health members and then followed them up at regular intervals in order to determine their habits and behavior. Researchers found that 48% of gym-goers went for just one activity. 32% did two moves, and 20% did three or more. The likelihood of cancellation was 56% greater for gym-only members than group exercisers.
Live online classes are a great way to retain members over time. All participants are in this together, and they will be held accountable for their attendance just as if they were in a physical class.
