Going Mobile: the Key to Health Club Success?

Mar 16, 2016 - clock icon 3 min
Nutrition app on phone - Virtuagym

Mobile apps are becoming a big part of the fitness industry. Millions of people already use health and fitness apps, a number that just keeps growing. Going mobile thus seems almost inevitable for your health club.

But your members need to do more than just download your app. That alone won’t do you any good. Just think about how irritated you get when you buy or download an app and it doesn’t do what you expected it to do? Well you’re clearly not the only one: research shows that 20% of apps are only used once! Clearly, you don’t want your mobile app to be one of those apps that people never open again.

No, your members need to actively use your app, again and again. How do you achieve this kind of success?

An App Tailored Your Health Club

Tailoring an app, program or anything you are interacting with based on your preferences to make it exactly how you envisioned it to be, is called customisation. This means, for example, changing the look and feel to reflect your health club’s style and branding. But it goes further than that: think about giving your members access to your health club’s own workout plans, or up-to-date information on opening hours and class times.

An App Personalised for Its Users

Going one step further than customization is personalisation. Personalisation is all about tailoring the user experience from the moment it begins. Personalisation brings customisation to another level by not only affecting the way things look to the user but also by adding feeling to their experience.

If your members feel like they are having a unique experience with your app they will continue using it. Think about exercise suggestions. Or their favorite foods coming up first when logging their food intake. All these little moments matter. If your members feel like they are getting a unique experience, better than anywhere else, they will keep coming back.

Add Value By Going Mobile

A mobile app isn’t something that just works for you. You can work through it to offer your members a level of added value that you simply can’t do through analogue means:

  • Stay in contact with your members 24/7
  • Keep members up-to-date on opening hours and class schedules
  • Engage your clients through discussion groups and challenges
  • Turn your clients into brand ambassadors through social sharing
  • Share business news, promotional offers, or motivational tips.

Conclusion

The added value of a mobile app for your business is many-fold. First, it delivers a great user experience to your members. Second, it allows you to do more for your members than ever before. Not only will your members benefit from this, your health club will have a competitive advantage by clearly standing out from its competitors. And this, in turn, will have a positive effect on your bottom line.

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Manon Taylor

Hey i'm Manon! I'm 22 and recently joined Virtuagym's international hub in Amsterdam as a marketing intern. Through my extrovert character you would recognise my English humour and French personality! Since moving to The Netherlands, I have grown to love riding my bike whilst listening to some chill music and discovering the hidden beauties of this flat country.