YouGov says 80 per cent of consumers fi nd club fees too expensive
JAMES MCCOY YouGov • Research director
“O
ur research puts gym membership penetration at around 14 per cent.
This doesn’t include casual usage, which would push it up to one in four adults. Up to 17 per cent of current non-gym
users say they may be tempted to join a health club in the future. Add this to the 12–14 per cent who are currently members and you would be forgiven for thinking penetration could reach as high as one in three. However, because of the high churn rate, without massive industry-wide effort penetration is unlikely to significantly increase in the near future. Barriers include the fact that some people prefer to exercise
outdoors; others want specialised instruction at a dedicated facility, such as yoga. We’ve also found many people prefer solitary activities, with nobody else around, despite the fact that studies suggest group exercise – with its higher levels of adherence – is more beneficial to health, fitness and weight loss. Finally, a whopping 80 per cent of consumers feel gym memberships are too expensive: three out of five lapsers cite cost as the reason. Lapsed members are a good place to start to push up
penetration, but solutions need to be provided to get them back, such as membership flexibility. There also needs to be a focus on measurable results with minimal time commitment.
August 2013 © Cybertrek 2013 ”
MICHAEL OLIVER Mintel • Senior leisure and media analyst
“M
intel’s latest research is encouraging for the sector: 16
per cent of adults (based on 2,000 internet users aged 16+) are using clubs; 21 per cent are interested in joining; and 23 per cent of lapsed users – people who have already bought into the idea of gym-going – would be interested in joining again. Reflecting the maturity of the sector, almost 40 per cent of
respondents have, at some point, belonged to a club, including current members; just under 25 per cent are lapsed members. Of the 16 per cent of respondents currently using a private
health and fitness club, three-quarters are members. The balance attend on a ‘pay as you go’ basis, which continues to be part of the business model for many gyms, and which may have become even more important in the difficult economic environment of the past few years. Flexibility in membership will be key to continuing to drive penetration rates. Going forward, the demographic that’s most interested in
taking up a membership are the younger age groups, singles and students. There’s also a notable peak in interest among those living in London; the fact they haven’t yet joined a health club in part reflects the relatively poor provision of clubs in the capital due to high development costs.
” Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 31
©
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/ZSTOCK
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