Author: Suzanne Robb: How Focused Fitness Brands Have a Competitive Advantage.
We’ve all been to those gyms that are nothing but a big open room and a lot of equipment. And, while they get the job done as far as a quick workout goes, they don’t do much to draw people in. Luckily for gym lovers everywhere, the big box gym concept is quickly going the way of the dinosaur.
In their places are emerging focused fitness brands that offer a welcoming environment, tailored classes and personal training, and, most importantly, a focused fitness approach. And these gyms are popping up quickly – IHRSA reports that the global fitness industry has grown 3%-4% every year for the past decade.
In addition to being much more pleasant to spend time in, these focused fitness establishments have a significant edge, from a business perspective.
6 Ways Focused Fitness Brands Are More Competitive
Today, gym-goers don’t want a one-size-fits-all gym experience. Instead, they want to frequent focused, discipline-specific clubs and gyms that offer something unique. There’s a reason boutique fitness is the biggest growth sector in the fitness industry.
Here are the six reasons those gyms are so competitive in the modern environment:
1. Differentiation
Differentiation is essential in today’s marketing environment. In a world where every shopper is used to personalized recommendations, first-name marketing emails, and wearing a watch that tracks all their biometric data – morning, noon, and night – it’s easy to see why it’s so important for gyms to offer a truly differentiated experience, as well.
According to recent data from Deloitte, 1 in 5 customers who want personalized services are willing to pay a 20% premium to access them. Additionally, 42% of consumers who want customized products or services want brands to lead them there, and to provide a selection of offers for them to choose from.
When gyms adopt this personalization philosophy, they provide differentiated services that serve two distinct purposes:
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- Helping them stand apart from the competition.
- Providing the unique, personalized experience that draws customers in.
2. Accountability
Did you know that the top reason people fail to meet their health and weight-loss goals is a lack of accountability? Most of us can relate to that. Some days, getting to the gym just feels impossible.
Fortunately, focused fitness brands have found a way to crack that code. By encouraging customers to both make a financial commitment (which boosts accountability) and work with a trainer in either a small-group or one-on-one environment, these brands build accountability into the fabric of their offerings. The result? Happier clients who see results.
3. Loyalty
While most people think about loyalty as a one-way street (something customers offer brands), we think it runs both ways. If clients are going to be loyal to a gym, they need a gym that’s also loyal to them.
That’s where focused fitness operations thrive. By providing the tailored, focused, customizable service that makes each customer feel like an individual, focused fitness brands engender loyalty and reliability from their clients.
4. Simplicity
Remember those big box gyms? For an inexperienced gym-goer, those places can be incredibly intimidating.
When new clients walk into a room filled with meatheads and complicated-looking equipment, many of them have no idea where to start. And this creates a needlessly complex experience that puts the client at risk of not reaching their fitness goals or – worse – getting injured in the process.
Focused fitness brands, on the other hand, create a simple experience that lowers the barrier to access for new clients. From the moment they walk in the door, clients understand the model of the gym and have a trainer or instructor to guide them through movement, classes, or equipment. This avoids overwhelm and leads to a more enjoyable experience for clients.
5. Quality
We’ve all heard the saying “jack of all trades, master of none.” In many ways, that’s what those box gym models are. They provide a whole bunch of things, but none of them are particularly focused or high-quality.
Focused fitness brands, on the other hand, do one thing and they do it very well. By scaling-down their offerings, focused fitness brands create a distinct edge that allows them to scale-up their services and the quality of their training.
6. Scalability
Speaking of scaling, focused fitness brands are scalable in a way no box gym has ever been. By remaining lean and agile, focused fitness brands make multiple locations around the world an easily achievable possibility.
Additionally, because they remain so lean, focused fitness brands rely on business models that can be easily duplicated and, in the best-case scenarios, franchised.
Take Alloy Personal Training as an example. While Alloy was initially a single location, our personal training model was so effective and scalable that we opted to franchise it. This has allowed us to open multiple locations around the world and throughout the U.S., and to ensure that the customer service, experience, and level of excellence is consistent at each of them.
While some people think a gym can only be successful if it’s a massive operation, experience has shown that focused fitness brands are more agile, more adaptable, and thus more scalable.
Now Is The Time To Own A Focused Fitness Franchise
There’s no question about it – focused fitness is the way of the future. In addition to offering better service and more attractive experiences for customers, focused fitness brands are just better suited to the modern customer. If you’re interested in opening your own focused fitness franchise, Alloy is here to help. Offering a proven roadmap and business model, we help entrepreneurs start their own business and ensure it’s successful from day one. Check out some of these other blog posts:
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