Since March 2020 people’s fitness regimes have been continuously changing- from the immediate rush to buy the at home gym essentials, Zooming into group classes, running full speed back into the gym – and then back at home again. So how easy is it to predict the biggest fitness trends in 2022?
Following the commissioning of global research by Snap Fitness 24/7, Andy Peat, Chief Product Officer, provides his predictions on the key trends and how the brand is responding to ensure they are a franchise model that is fit for the future.
A change in narrative
Snap Fitness’ research showed us that 34% of people were fearful of the gym. When looking further into this, it’s not surprising – the industry historically has been remarkably homogenous. The vast majority offer a variation on a singular way of doing things, typically aspirational people pushing themselves to the max. Snap Fitness was guilty of this too and we have responded by changing the way we speak and present the brand. There is a huge opportunity when you get this right, to better to appeal to the 85% of the UK population who don’t have a gym membership to step inside and try out the experience.
A hybrid approach to physical and digital
Digital is here to stay. But that doesn’t mean there will be a demand for a purely at home workout model. A lot of people are choosing both. Fitness business’ will need to adapt their offering to cater for this hybrid demand to retain customers on a membership model.
At Snap Fitness 24/7 we have created an end-to-end customer journey, focused on creating positive experiences both in the gym and out of gym.
In gym, we have been focusing on elevating the experience. From the sales journey, group fitness offering and personal training through to a warmer club design and the flow around from cardio, to weights, to recovery.
We’re supporting this with a new app which has undergone rigorous testing over the last few months in multiple markets and will be launched across all clubs in January. The app offers a personalised wellness experience, monitoring movement in and out of the gym through linking to Apple and Google Health and offering guidance to members on how to achieve their goals.
Digital experiences tap into multiple motivational features. The truth is not everyone is motivated by the same things. Whether its health reasons, community or competition there are multiple reasons for people to stay engaged with their local gym. The use of digital platforms to tailor experiences using multiple motivational features tailored to the users own journey will be key to ensure ongoing retention success. We’ve carefully designed an onboarding process tailored to members’ goals that recommends 8-week training programmes, meal plans and mindfulness content – as well as access to 1,200 workouts that can be cast to your TV at home.
Community, support and collaboration
There is increasingly more focus on overall “wellness”. People’s mindsets have changed – fitness and mental health can no longer be considered as unconnected. Our new app provides a library of content and podcasts to help create healthy habits – community and connection are fundamental to achieving stronger mental health.
It’s long been Snap Fitness’ belief that community is an essential part of a member experience but being a 24/7 gym where members can swipe in without the need for staffing has been a challenge in some markets to overcome. It’s becoming increasingly clearer now that ‘plug and play’ approach – open a gym and leave it to run itself, limited interaction with members – no longer works.
Whilst Snap Fitness clubs operate on a low staffing model – building the in-club sense of community, where the team know your name is essential. In the UK we find that the clubs who do this well have higher retention levels and stronger returns on their investment.
When recruiting new franchisees, we expect them to be involved in the business, this doesn’t mean we expect them to be in the club every day but that they have a strong team in place and collaboration with head office to continue to build the Snap Fitness brand. Over the last few years, the UK has been successful in recruiting these types of franchisees which is evidenced in the member growth.
This article is brought to you courtesy of Snap Fitness 24/7 is a leading fitness franchise with 1000+ clubs in 20+ countries, operating since 2003. By the end of 2021 there will be 81clubs open in the UK & Ireland.
