The Disruptive Power of Boutique Fitness Studios
Over the past several years the health/fitness club industry has been exposed to a variety of disruptive business models (e.g., budget clubs and boutique studios). In just the past couple of years, boutique fitness studios, or micro-gyms as some in the club industry refer to them, have emerged as a powerful disruptive force in the health/fitness club industry. According to IHRSA’s 2014 Health Club Consumer Report, approximately 21% of health club consumers report being a member of a boutique fitness studio. In this White Paper we explore the mystical powers of the boutique fitness studio offering and how these niche oriented fitness businesses are able to engender such a powerful following, and in turn, attract such a large base of existing health/fitness club members.
Published: November 7, 2014
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Remaining Relevant Requires Change
Today, more than any other time in the health/fitness industry’s lifecycle, club operators are faced with a socio-economic and cultural environment where consumers dictate what businesses need to do to remain relevant, and where those proclamations can swing overnight. The marketplace for health and fitness continues to evolve, driven by a variety of cultural, demographic and psychographic variables. Over the past five years the industry has seen the emergence of new business models that have disrupted the “old way” of doing business, not to mention the emergence of new avenues of communication that defy the forms of messaging that have come to define our industry. The message is clear, club leaders need to embrace change if they are to remain relevant. In this whitepaper our goal is to provide insight into the process of change, particularly those areas that often represent the greatest challenge to leaders when they embark on change.
Published: October 1, 2014
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Relationship Intelligence – Uncovering and Leveraging Member Relationships
First there was IQ, then EQ and now there is RQ or relationship intelligence. Clubs that want to emerge on top in the highly competitive and mature health/fitness club industry will need to master this new form of business intelligence that speaks to understanding the type of relationships member’s want and then leveraging that insight to foster the right relationships. This new mantra for clubs is about truly understanding the relationship that your members are seeking and then effectively delivering on their expectations. In this whitepaper we explore the concept of RQ and discuss several of the more common relationships that appear in the club industry, including examples of how clubs should deliver on these different relationship expectations.
Published: August 20, 2014
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Does Your Brand Resonate with Consumers?
The health/fitness industry is a mature industry, where sameness has become the norm and uniqueness the outlier. Offerings have blurred, prices dropped and consumers are dictating what the market will offer. Marketing is no longer just about who shouts the loudest; its about whose message is the most relevant, compelling and unique. In today’s competitive landscape brands need to know how consumers perceive them and whether those perceptions lend themselves to creating and sustaining a competitive advantage. This white paper explores how businesses can quantify consumer perceptions of their brand; favorable and unfavorable and then leverage those insights to achieve a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Published: July 18, 2014
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Defining a Revenue Growth Strategy that Leverages the Consumer rather than Holding Them Hostage
The health/fitness club industry has become fully entrenched in the challenges of being a mature industry. The challenges inherent in a mature industry include: a shrinking pool of new consumers, greater market pressure to differentiate, downward pressure on pricing and finding innovative approaches to generating additional revenues from existing customers. Faced with the challenge of growing revenues from its existing customer base, health/fitness clubs can pursue one of two core strategies; embracing the tenants of hostage capitalism or leveraging its “Super Consumers”. This White Paper explores both approaches to generating incremental revenue and lays the foundation for why the Super Consumer strategy may be the answer the industry is looking for.
Published: June 2, 2014
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