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INDUSTRY RESEARCH


Fitness First now has a range of formats including Black Label clubs and The Zone


per cent), via rent (35 per cent) or a mixture of both (23 per cent). The ways in which clubs derive income from PTs has remained consistent in both Australia and New Zealand. From a member perspective, more


than half of members surveyed (55 per cent) have never tried personal training. Of the 45 per cent who currently do use a PT, many have only done so for three months or less (33 per cent). Encouragingly though, 22 per cent have used a PT for 12 months or longer.


Member acquisition and retention The main reason members said they joined a club was location (33 per cent). Additional reasons for joining included value for money (13 per cent), or because they offered a different type of exercise (9 per cent). A mere 7 per cent joined their current club because it was cheaper, which confirms that price is no longer a sole deciding factor. It will be interesting to see how this changes in the coming year, however, as more budget operators enter the Australian and New Zealand marketplace. When it comes to remaining a


member, location was the biggest factor (54 per cent), followed by value for money (46 per cent) and having professional staff – defi ned as polite, approachable and on-hand (39 per cent). Indeed, when asked about interaction with staff, 60.2 per cent of members


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said they felt it was important on every visit to the club, with 29 per cent of members even reporting that engaging staff who made conversation, rather than just delivering an initial greeting, were an important reason why they remained a member. While clubs don’t have to be cheapest, value is key and is seen to lie in the member experience. When asked about their overall


satisfaction with their current club, 34 per cent of members say they are very satisfi ed and 26 per cent are somewhat satisfi ed; 14 per cent believe their club is OK; and 26 per cent feel somewhat unsatisfi ed (9 per cent) or very unsatisfi ed (17 per cent).


Social media In the 2010 ANZFIS, social media didn’t feature in the top 10 most successful marketing and communication methods. In the 2011 report, it came in 10th. In 2013, however, the club’s own website was ranked first (37 per cent) with social media sites ranked second (15 per cent) – in particular Facebook. With so many people using social


media to communicate with friends and recommend or discuss their experiences


– including fi tness achievements, classes attended and club check-ins – these online platforms should be given a high priority by clubs looking to drive word of mouth referrals. Certainly the majority of clubs say they plan to invest in their website and/


Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital


or social media strategy in the next fi nancial year. However, while a high proportion


of club members use Facebook (80 per cent of this year’s respondents), and are happy to see information and content in their club’s social media feed, most prefer not to be communicated with via this medium.


The future of fitness Although operators reportedly do not perceive there to be high levels of competition, the Australian and New Zealand marketplace is increasingly busy. This has arguably been to the benefit of the fitness industry, however, forcing clubs to up their game and improve the service they deliver. Combined with ongoing membership


growth and reported plans for investment in the coming year, this all paints a picture of a buoyant industry with its eye on further growth in the years ahead. ●


Trent Brown is CEO of Ezypay, a company based in Sydney, Australia, which supports businesses via an outsourced direct debit and credit card management system. He has led some of the fastest growing businesses in Australia and uses this success to share his knowledge and enthusiasm for sustainable business growth. Web www.ezypay.com


November/December 2013 © Cybertrek 2013


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