Organisations can connect Bounts
with their Legend or Gladstone membership software/online booking system, or use a simple reward tag offered by Bounts. But it’s been the decision by Bounts to link up with a number of established third-party apps and devices – including Map My Run, Runkeeper, Nike+, Fitbit, Jawbone and the MYZONE heart rate monitoring system – that has really allowed its rewards to be tied in to actual activity rather than mere attendance. Points are awarded for the distance
completed and time spent exercising through the likes of Map My Run. Meanwhile, when a member uses MYZONE, expended effort is rewarded through MYZONE Effort Points (MEPs). Bounts points are then appropriately awarded, heightening the personalised approach to exercising and rewards. Bounts has been adopted by a range
of organisations, from an NHS project to Active Stirling, Fusion Lifestyle, Oxford City Council, Sport Aberdeen and a number of single-site gyms and charities. The Barn, an independent gym in Oxfordshire, saw a reduction in monthly attrition rates from 3.1 per cent to 1.9 per cent in the first six months of using Bounts. John Stuart, founder of Bounts, says:
“A simple reward for a positive behaviour can be a very powerful motivator. Plenty
April 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
Above: Fitness rewards app Bounts has linked up with apps such as Map My Run
Right: FitLinxx’s Pebble is smart enough to know if the user is genuinely active
of studies in areas like smoking cessation have shown rewards to work in the short term. The key is whether rewards can lead to a sustainable difference over months and years, and sadly many existing reward programmes in the fitness sector fail to deliver sustainable results because they have limited appeal – they don’t have the depth, breadth or frequency to engage people. “If you want a reward to work, it has
to have a high perceived value, but also has to be relevant to the individual. That’s why you need to include many brands, as each person will be interested in different things.”
Can’t cheat, won’t cheat If activity data is to be used as the basis for rewards, of course the data has to be watertight. MYZONE CEO Dave Wright says: “We found that too many systems could be easily gamed, whether it was swiping into a health club to sit in the sauna or shaking an accelerometer. That all undermines the purpose of reward: increasing physical activity.
“But you can’t cheat your heart.
With our system, it doesn’t matter how fit or unfit you might be, or what sport or activity you do – it’s all about the effort you put in.” FitLinxx has also developed an
intelligent device that can’t be cheated. Accurately tracking steps, distance, calories and time spent exercising, the Pebble tracks the hard work and effort applied during a workout. Colin Neale, director of business
development at FitLinxx, says: “The Pebble is smart enough to know whether the user is active or simply
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 49
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