How Gyms Are Using Member Data to Increase Retention How Gyms Are Using Member Data to Increase Retention

How Gyms Are Using Member Data to Increase Retention

How Gyms Are Using Member Data to Increase Retention Technology has dramatically changed the way that health clubs conduct business. It streamlines operations, optimizes members’ workouts, and has had an impact on virtually every aspect, and every area, of a club. And rapidly emerging technologies—think virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics—are increasing the number of possibilities exponentially.

In most cases, the goals targeted by technology and the results achieved are fairly obvious and easily understood. A front desk scanner lets a member enter without assistance; a group cycling bike tracks the user’s efforts. But, sometimes, the subtle unseen outcomes that accrue—though important—are less clear.

Because of the functions that technology facilitates, it can have a telling impact on member retention—if employed wisely.

“Technology lies at the core of our retention efforts, and I feel that, right now, we’re just scratching the surface,” says Greg Cibura, the chief technology officer (CTO) for the Fitness Formula Clubs(FFC), a 10-facility chain based in Chicago.

Whether designed to permit members to book classes online or to alert staff that a treadmill requires maintenance, all of the incessant innovating has a single seminal goal: to make the club experience more rewarding for members, and, in turn, more profitable for owners.

Al Noshirvani, the founder and chairman of Motionsoft, Inc., the Rockville, MD–based provider of club management software, makes a strong case for the potential to boost retention that lies within the mountains of data mined by high-tech.How Gyms Are Using Member Data to Increase Retention.

“In this age of apps, wearables, connected equipment, and nutrition-tracking products, club operators have an opportunity to become the trusted health, fitness, and wellness resource in people’s lives—if they embrace this ecosystem of products and services,” he says. “These technologies, which are available right now on people’s digital devices, allow you to become a key part of members’ lives both within, and outside of, the four walls of your club.”

Club-tech comes in an endless number of forms, but one of the things that nearly all of it has in common is that it churns out data—lots, and lots, and lots of data. Data on attendance, utilization, satisfaction, in-club spending, employee performance, blood pressure, heart rate, instructors’ popularity, and more…….