Not only five years ago, fitness was a hobby to some and a chore to many, with more than would care to admit dragging their feet to a local gym out of necessity. Nowadays, the fitness industry is thriving, becoming more inclusive and accessible to individuals looking for more than just the pure ‘health benefits’. With new boutique gyms and funky fitness classes popping up all over the country, there is much more opportunity to capture everyone’s interests, helping both new and long-standing members enjoy their movement routines.
Indeed, the 2018 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report has just this month revealed that the UK health and fitness industry is continuing to strengthen. Boasting a market value of just under £5 billion, there are now over 7,000 gyms in the UK alone, with total memberships approaching 10 million – meaning 1 in every 7 people in the UK belongs to a gym. This documents a rise of 4.6% in the number of fitness facilities, 2% in the number of members and 2.9% in market value in the past year.
So what is it about fitness and gyms that people are now buying into and how can we continue to ensure this growth rate continues?
For the past few years, the drive has come from offering customers more personalisation, localisation, seamless booking and payment options, which put members at the heart of their experience. Gyms have taken advantage of the world of digitalisation, making reservation and organisational processes more accessible through smart phone apps, and in only five years, this has helped online class bookings to jump from almost nothing to 46% and 65% across private sites and the public sector respectively. Naturally this emphasis on convenience has helped to increase overall participation rates to date, but in order to keep this momentum going, brands will need to find more ways to put their services at the forefront of the consumers mind.
In the digital age, there is no doubt that Instagram and other social channels will lead this charge. Influencer marketing is on the up as we are constantly exposed to brands showcasing their latest services in and amongst our newsfeeds. We are yet to tire of watching our favourite Instagram personalities share information about the latest products they are using or gym class they are attending, and despite knowing these are sponsored ads, we are engaged and want to try them for ourselves.
In fact, Instagram announced last week that they would be introducing a new set of features for businesses which would include ‘action buttons’. This will allow the customers to order, buy, book whatever they want, without having to leave the platform, increasing ease and speed of access to an unimaginable point. With so much power at our finger tips, it is inevitable that we will act much more spontaneously and brands will have an unprecedented opportunity to capitalise on this. This is no different for the gym market.
So, whilst we are in the supposed ‘golden age of fitness’, the main question becomes whether health/fitness clubs will act quickly enough to take advantage of the amazing opportunities available to bring in new members and keep current members engaged and coming back for more. It is interesting to think who will be the major players leading the way in this venture – will it be the long standing gyms or will the more pop up bespoke brands take control of the market? What’s more, when will we tire of hearing about the latest crazes from Instagram stars, or is this the perfect strategy going forward to reach everyone, ultimately increasing penetration rates to a goal of 20% by 2020? Only time will tell.
