» Technology
Tech Will Shape Our Industry
At this year’s IHRSA convention, tech disruption was a hot topic BY DAVID MINTON I
n the United States, the hashtag #DeleteUber started trending in January. So far, for Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, 2017 has been an
annus horribilis. Although Kalanick has stepped
down from Trump’s advisory council (prompting another mea culpa), the embattled ride hailing company is still surrounded by controversy. According to TXN Solutions, which tracks debit and credit spending, Uber’s troubles have resulted in market share gains for its main competitor Lyft. Uber spend across the U.S. has declined since January by 2 percent while Lyft has jumped 30 percent on average. In Uber’s home city of San Francisco,
30 Fitness Business Canada May/June 2017
spend was down 8 percent while Lyft jumped 24 percent. At this year’s IHRSA convention in
LA, Lyft impressed delegates. And for those with ApplePay, a ride was just a finger touch away. How simple and in- tuitive. Lyft’s use of the latest technol- ogy provided a seamless digital gate- way of choice and many lessons for the fitness industry. One key message? Consumers are in
control, and brands need to stop inter- rupting with bad technology and try- ing to sell unwanted products and ser- vices. Instead they should start smart conversations and start listening. Lyft is having conversations and is
listening to every one of its riders. If the ride isn’t perfect, it wants to know how it could have been better. When did you last receive a request to rate
your instructor, a class, personal train- er or even a club? Me? Never. Fitness brands that offer pricing
transparency are growing faster than ever. These brands are open about the good, and maybe not-so-good, conver- sations they are having with their cus- tomers. They listen and respond. Peer reviews of workouts, instructors and the all-important overall experience are keeping everyone on their toes. At the IHRSA convention’s
Networking Roundtable, chaired by Bryan O’Rourke, operators denigrat- ed the heritage CRM systems that the industry is suffering under. Will traditional CRM systems be dead in five years? Some heavy competition is being tested in California. Reserve with Google, for example, gives deep- er booking integration so that local
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