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Slowly, society is reemerging. Restaurants are reopening, families are gathering, and fitness centers are beginning to return to in-person training. After a year-long pause during which many were forced to reevaluate the structure of their business and facilities, this cautious reopening will no doubt carry forward some of the changes integrated while navigating the troubles of COVID-19.

Due to the transition of many activities into our homes, it is important to recognize that marketing and consumer pain points have shifted drastically. Here’s how the new marketing narrative will shift and influence one of America’s most popular industries: fitness.

The Fitness Industry, Pre 2020

Let’s jump back to 2019. Everyone was in the gym multiple times a week (for some, multiple times a day). Trainers and corporate gyms are thriving. Fitness influencers are on the rise, making videos showcasing complex workouts and teaching consumers how to get fit before summer. With the turn of 2020, the fitness industry changes forever, creating a new paradigm of health and wellness. 

The Fitness Industry, 2020 Forward

After a long period of adaptation, fitness today has gone from working out at a gym (and sharing equipment with 100 other people), to lifting gallons of water as substitute dumbbells at home. Many people have not been inside of a fitness club for over a year. So, are people eager to return to the gym? Not so much.

One study found that the perceptions of gyms are not favored, as nearly 47% of gym members globally will not return to their gyms upon reopening and a third have already cancelled their memberships. To further extrapolate on a global level, 31% of members in Australia, 41% of members in the UK, and 50% of those in the United States are likely not to return to their gyms once they open.

For health and fitness organizations, navigating through a reopening world is largely going to be focused on understanding consumer pain points and perceptions. How can clubs better understand their current and potential members to create the best services and overall environment? The answer is what we like to call HumanSight™, a human centric approach where we seek to understand the motivations, behaviors, and attitudes through the lens of the user. An empathy driven technique to give direction and insight to difficult positions. The customer experience will largely shape how the fitness industry goes forward and how companies will communicate with their members. 

How can HumanSight help us adapt marketing strategies?

If safety regulations are achieved and vaccinations continue to roll out, the marketing narrative for consumers (the need for safety, sanitation, and space from others) will largely shape the future of fitness. Communicating that you can achieve your fitness goals through a variety of safe and flexible options will be pivotal going forward. Marketing is one of the first channels of communication that consumers interact with. Thus, the focus of value propositions, marketing messages, and innovation around user needs and pain points are more important than ever. 

Previous marketing efforts of achieving your summer body no longer convey meaning due to the prevalence of health concerns, fear, and worry. Resonating with your target demographic through what truly matters will begin to create the shift of customers feeling comfortable and safe. Enabling the transition and possible return to in-person fitness facilities.

Shifting The Marketing Narrative Moving Forward

The developing marketing narrative of 2021 will be one of the most important factors to influence the fitness industry for years to come. The current priorities of consumers have changed greatly – from strictly fitness goals and economic value, to easing the safety concerns of current and potential members. According to recent research, one of the top deciding factors today to join a gym is sanitary practices, and a primary motivation to return is extra safety precautions.

Of course, marketing efforts must touch upon these pain points and desires to ease the concerns of current and potential members. In response, gyms and health clubs are beginning to innovate and change the norm of how members interact with their services. Instead of a gym being based around in-person interactions experienced a few hours a week, the new gym ideal is beginning to shift to a hybrid of training and virtual interaction. 

For example, fitness clubs such as Equinox and Crunch Fitness have shifted to a hybrid model creating and using their own software to aid members in remote training, nutrition and overall health. Similar to the fitness and product boom of Peloton and Mirror, two fitness oriented companies that offer class-based virtual fitness services and in-home workout machines, the stay-at-home fitness through virtual interaction is a front for success to meet the needs of varying members. Through this new model, members can train in-person when they feel comfortable, but can additionally access on-demand fitness, a library of health tips, workout programs tailored to their goals, and interactive online classes to workout when (and how) they want.

A New Value Proposition: Convenience and Safety

The value proposition of the gym is no longer as a purely in-person service to reach your fitness goals, but rather as a manageable service to aid in your health and fitness lifestyle. Just imagine: using the on-demand virtual services to squeeze a workout in during lunch, or to aid in the development of a personal nutrition program.

What’s the true value proposition impacting today’s consumers? Convenience and flexibility from the safety of one’s home. In fact, the virtual focus might be the future of modern-day gyms and clubs. Online services such as Peloton and Mirror appeal to consumers due to the gamification of exercise, community engagement, and overall fun of exercising with others. Those with such equipment can enjoy time with friends and family from the safety and comfort of their home.

As fitness organizations continue to navigate this new world of health, it will be key to understand the user experience through an empathetic approach. What are the needs, pain points and expectations going forward? That is the value of HumanSight – the ability to look beneath the surface, observe and truly comprehend users and consumers to create the greatest impact. HumanSight gives direction to a challenging situation through taking a human-centric approach. 

Interested in working with RedSky Strategy to shift your perspective and marketing strategies? Our team looks forward to meeting with you, and uncovering how we can use HumanSight to illuminate the best pathway to growth for your company. 

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