Foot traffic is increasing and consumers continue to prioritize fitness spending despite historic inflation—a tremendous opportunity for gym marketing as you prepare for 2023! In June, foot traffic in the fitness category outperformed its year-over-three-year foot traffic by 26.2%. Growth in foot traffic at fitness centers surpassed other high-performing categories, including grocery, superstores, and quick-serve restaurants.

Gym Visits Are on the Rise

Consumers are excited about the post-pandemic reopening of fitness centers, and the pandemic promoted many healthy behaviors that have resulted in surging gym visits. High-volume, low-cost chains such as Planet Fitness are thriving – but some specialty studios such as F45 are also expanding quickly, despite their much steeper price tag.

• Visits to Planet Fitness and Crunch Fitness were up 77.4% and 56.8% in June, respectively, compared to January 2021.
• Visits to F45, which offers high-intensity functional fitness classes at a higher price point, were up 44.5% in June 2022 vs. January 2021.

Fitness visit patterns have also changed since the pandemic, with average visit frequency and median visit duration increasing, along with the number of evening visits.

Americans Aren’t Cutting Their Fitness Spending

The majority of Americans do not plan to cut beauty, fitness, and wellness spending, despite the impact of inflation:

• 71% will not cut wellness spending; 24% say they will increase it
• 66% will not cut fitness spending; 19% say they will increase it
• 58% will not cut beauty spending
• Consumers spend an average of $100/month on beauty, fitness, and wellness routines. (Millennials’ average spend is $115/month.)

Who Are the Most Likely Gym Members in Your Market?

Households with an income of $75K+ comprise the majority of gym members. “Core users” are gym members who use the facilities (equipment and other services) more than 100 times per year and have an income of $150,000+.

• The average length of gym membership is about 4.7 years.
• 50% of members remain active because they like the location.
• Most gyms lose 50% of their new members within 6 months.
• More than HALF of all gym members are FEMALE.
• 8% of male gym members and 14% of female members quit their gym membership after a year.
• Member retention starts with onboarding. 87% of members who had a positive onboarding experience remained active after 6 months.

Direct Mail is Your Pipeline to Acquiring New Members

Engage your target audience with coordinated campaigns anchored by direct mail and amplified with digital to grow your membership and make the most of your advertising spend.

• 70% of consumers say direct mail is more personal than online interactions.
• Advertising mail is kept in a household for 17 days on average.
• Direct mail open rates can reach up to 90%
• 62% of consumers who responded to direct mail in the past three months made a purchase.
• Direct Mail + Digital advertising boost response rates 118% and conversion rates by 28% versus print alone
• 92% of consumers are driven to online activity after receiving direct mail

Target New Movers to Your Community with Personalized Offers

The 1.75+ million people who move every month spend $9,000+ and make more than 70 brand decisions. Be the first to connect with these consumers as they look for service providers in their new communities. Mspark’s quality data sources are updated more often than competitor data, enabling you to reach up to 15% more movers. Our trigger-based Quick Connect program helps you reach movers ahead of competitors by delivery your message to their mailbox in as little as 4-5 days.

Check out our case studies to see how other gym and fitness centers have benefitted from partnering with Mspark to achieve their membership goals. Reach out today to plan your strategy.

Sources: Placerai, July 2022; StyleSeat, “How Much Do Americans Spend on Their Beauty, Fitness, and Wellness Routines?” May 2022; IHRSA, 2020; Noob Gains, 2020; Precor; financesonline.com/gym-membership-statistics, 2022; livestrong.com/article/13767109-gym-membership-statistics, 2021; USPS