How a Custom Branded Fitness App Enhances Member Engagement and Retention

A few factors, including the increased drive to stay healthy, are behind the surge in client engagement. While this interest in fitness may bring clients to your doors, you're fighting the competition to get them to stay.

You may wonder if you can create your own custom branded fitness app to rise above your peers. The good news is that you don't need to start from scratch: A custom app can increase engagement, enhance your members' workout experience, and create long-term success for your gym.

The Role of Technology in Fitness Engagement

Going to the gym used to mean physically visiting a location. Nowadays, this isn't always the case. Since 2020, fitness app engagement has risen by 55%, and around 368 million people worldwide use technology to boost their workouts.

More than ever, people are seeking ways to work out where and when they want. Custom fitness apps for gyms allow users to log in at their convenience and stay connected to their gym when they visit its physical location.

Enhancing Member Experience

Using technology can significantly improve your clients' experience with your gym. This is especially true for people who like tracking their activity in real time or pursuing specific fitness goals. For example, someone who wants to hold a plank for three minutes, lose 20 pounds, or attend a virtual class each week could view their progress and use their tracked data as a source of motivation.

Fostering Community Connections

Fitness apps, like gyms, can be very social places. Many custom mobile apps allow members to connect, share their progress, and sometimes engage in friendly competition.

Know that your members will also benefit from connecting with each other. Don't be afraid to let your clients form bonds and create their own groups. Establishing a sense of community among your clients is one of the primary keys to your business's longevity.

Benefits of Using a Fitness App

It's common to have apps for mail, banking, socializing, and ordering food. Fitness apps are a logical next step for customers who already spend much of their lives in the digital sphere. Connecting with your members this way forges relationships that go beyond seeing them at the gym.

For example, connecting to a fitness community could give them the extra confidence they need to attend a new virtual class. Additionally, constant contact with your brand may ensure that your gym is always at the forefront of their minds when they exercise at home.

Empowering Members

People who are hesitant to join a gym may cite a lack of self-confidence in exercise methods, poor overall fitness, and social anxiety. However, they may be more willing to join a custom fitness app connected to a gym. Apps containing a variety of workout plans can expose newcomers — and those who have been away from the gym for a while — to several new workouts and allow them to practice them where they want.

As they gain confidence in exercise and find their place in the fitness community, new members may feel less self-conscious and more empowered to attend both in-person and virtual classes. They'll also be in the right spot to try new equipment and get to know others who may be progressing toward the same goals.

Fostering Community Support

One 2022 study shows that fitness apps' social features can increase people's positive attitudes toward exercise. If you've already fostered a sense of community, your app will lend itself to community support. Users will turn to each other for motivation, to share success, and to ask for help.

Improving User Experience

Many members find it easy to miss a preferred class because they are not constantly in contact with a gym. Connecting with your gym's fitness app allows them to tailor their workouts to their preferences and schedules.

For example, a member who enjoys pilates may only come to your gym when there are in-person pilates classes. If your gym schedule isn't consistent, members may miss some classes. With an app that contains various pilates workout videos and a calendar of your upcoming classes, this member would likely be much more engaged overall.

Impact on Member Engagement

Creating a sense of community is key, and it takes time. Depending on their goals, some people visit the gym daily, but many, despite their membership, only visit it once a week or less. Fostering a sense of connectedness, even when these members aren't at the gym, is crucial to improving member engagement.

Increased Interaction With Gym Staff

By joining a custom fitness app, your members can interact with the gym staff and each other. They might feel encouraged to ask more questions when they get answers quickly, such as:

• Should I try the intermediate yoga class or stick with the basics?
• How could I do the in-gym workout I tried on my home exercise bike?
• When is the next community competition?

Over time, these types of interactions can lead to more people attending in-person events and maintaining engagement through virtual fitness classes.

Enhanced Member Accountability

Sometimes, all people need is an extra push to get going. Working out in groups, or even just with a friend, can provide benefits that solo workouts cannot.

For example, partnered workouts can do the following:

• Provide emotional support as you work alongside each other to meet your goals
• Create a sense of friendly competition
• Encourage you to attend classes and form healthy habits
• Help you maintain a positive attitude toward exercise

Motivation Through Progress Tracking

Psychologically, goal-setting can help someone create both short- and long-term motivation. Research shows that setting goals can help people reach a higher level of health over time in relation to diet and physical activity. Apps that can track progress and connect users to a like-minded community can help your members set and achieve their goals.

Long-Term Success for Gyms

People stop coming to the gym for various reasons: They get bored using the same equipment repeatedly, they can't find time to work out due to their busy schedules, or they lose motivation after starting strong.

Keep these key points in mind when building a strategy that will sustain your gym for years to come.

Building Loyalty Among Members

How can you rely on clients to stick with you for years when they have so many other options? While you can't keep every subscriber, you can do what you can to keep them loyal to your gym.

A custom fitness app makes the entire experience easier by letting your customers:

• Book classes or personal training sessions at their convenience
• Attend virtual classes when and where they want
• Track their progress and set goals
• Engage virtually with friends, acquaintances, and your staff
• Participate in community challenges
• Learn more about fitness, wellbeing, and nutrition
• Tailor their content for more personalized experiences
• Join loyalty programs

Reducing Churn Rates

Churn rate, or attrition rate, is the rate at which members stop subscribing to their membership. It's essentially the opposite of growth. This loss of members is typically represented as a percentage.

Your churn rate is as important to monitor as your growth rate. For example, if your gym gains 50 new members, you may celebrate this as a win. However, if you also lose 55 members in the same period, you would have to mark it as a loss.

To reduce churn rate, meet your members where they are. You can use a customizable fitness app to offer the latest popular workouts, help your members sign up for upcoming challenges, and encourage them to interact with others at your gym to gain a sense of community.

Implement a Custom Fitness App and Improve Your Member Retention

Not all gym clients are the same, and their unique fitness journeys shouldn't be served with a one-size-fits-all technology solution. When you respect the diversity and uniqueness of your client base, your members will stick around. Improve your retention rates with an app that personalizes each client's workout to their current fitness level, saves their preferred workouts, and tracks their progress.

Are you ready to take your clients' gym membership to the next level? Request a demo today of Fitness On Demand's custom branded fitness app to meet your clients where they are and help them achieve their goals.