The advent of new digital technologies is changing the way we live our lives. Technology has transformed the way we communicate, shop, order food and entertain. Not surprisingly, it has also extended its influence on the way we exercise and keep fit. The digital fitness industry revenues in the United States are estimated to be at $3.6 billion. COVID-19 pandemic has further fueled its growth as people stayed at home for the most part of 2020.
Most people don’t think of fitness clubs and gyms as pioneers of new technology. Fitness has always been about doing physical activities with metal equipment. However, that is fast changing as customer needs are shifting. Today’s customer is no longer satisfied with an exercise and diet plan. He wants personalization that can accommodate his lifestyle, fitness goals and want to be part of the process. As the customer needs are shifting, fitness trainers and gym owners need to leverage various technologies available to cater to their needs.
And we’re seeing a lot of advancements in technology adoption in the fitness industry. From wearable devices, mobile apps, digital wall displays to AI-driven platforms, technology is changing the way fitness trainers are offering exercise regimes to their members.
At Gemini Consulting & Service, we can help you in the digitalization of your business. Our digital transformation consultants can help you build a strategy and then build smart digital fitness solutions for your business. To know more about how our team can develop mobile apps and other services to promote your fitness business, click here.
So, if you’re a fitness trainer or own a gym, and want to usher your business into the new normal then here are 5 ways you can leverage new technologies to sync your services with your member needs.
- Digital Wall Displays: TV and music systems have become ubiquitous in gyms. However, today digital wall screens and displays are a new need as your members crave information. The screens can be used to display exercise demos, engage with your members as well as entertain them.
- Mobile Apps: Smartphones and mobile apps have become preferred engagement as well as promotional tools in the fitness industry. Build a custom mobile app for your gym where members can sign up for your services, set their fitness goals, track their daily diet intake and calorie consumption, view their exercise regimes and interact with their trainers etc. You can also use the app to offer virtual consultations to people.
- Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp etc., offers great opportunities for you to drive your memberships, engage with your members and enhance their experiences. Open accounts in these social media platforms and share your fitness tips, answer people’s queries and build a following. This can help you build a strong reputation for your business in a short time.
- Create User Communities: You can create a community platform on your website wherein all your members can come together, engage with each other, ask questions and share their experiences. Social engagement will help people to bounce off from their frustrations and concerns. It will also keep your clients motivated and effective in their workout regimens.
- Data-Driven Tools: Your members are data-driven today. They just don’t want to follow an exercise regime but also want to monitor their progress on a daily basis. While there are personal wearable devices like Fitbit and Smartwatches that give a lot of data, you can also leverage digital fitness technologies to accentuate their experiences. By collecting data, you can personalize the exercise regimes of each client based on his individual baseline, functional states and stress loads.
Building a Brand
Embracing digital technologies can help fitness trainers and gym owners not only getting more business and driving member satisfaction but it can also help them build a brand and launch their own products. These are excellent tools to go beyond your city, state and country and go global. Also, they help serve clients in large numbers.
Technology offers unprecedented scalability. A lot of people, constrained by busy schedules in their lives, are going digital to keep themselves fit. And we saw it happening when gyms were closed during the pandemic. People need help and advice on fitness, but they don’t have time to walk into a gym. For such people, and it is a huge population, you can offer virtual fitness training, recommend them helpful products, and diet supplements etc. Once you have established yourself as an authority in the online world, there’s a huge potential to expand your business.
