Many of us live in a world ruled by mobile apps. From GPS to the news to your daily to-do list, there’s an app for everything and anything. For fitness clubs trying to get members to use their apps, that means you’re competing with millions of other companies for space on their phones and time in their days.
Considering that mobile apps lose 77% of their average users within the first three days of download, it’s important that you get people hooked from the get-go. How do you do that? With the features they want and need.
In the third article of our blog series, The Power of Mobile, we’ll take a look at the top features your gym mobile app needs to have to attract, engage, and retain your users.
Easy Signup
A complicated or in-depth registration process is a turn-off for a majority of consumers. Think about how many times you were going to read an article online or order something from a social media ad, then were greeted with a lengthy form you didn’t feel like filling out. How many of those times did you just click right off the page? Probably most.
Fitness app users feel the same way about their signup process. Keep it short and simple, only asking for the basics. Limit the information you ask for to essentials like name, email, and phone number.
Progress Tracking
Tracking physical activity is tied with communicating with doctors as the top reason consumers use mobile health and fitness apps. If your gym’s app doesn’t let members view their fitness progress, they’re not going to be very engaged with it or your club.
Having a visual record of what they’ve accomplished so far helps members stay on top of their goals and identify when they need to adjust their routine. More importantly, progress tracking keeps them motivated to keep working out and using your app.
There are a lot of different metrics that can be tracked, and various fitness apps available to track different combinations. But it’s a good idea to keep your club’s app tracking to just a few of the most important metrics, so as not to overwhelm members with information. Steps taken, workouts completed, weight loss/gain, and calorie intake are the ones most users focus on.
Fitness App & Wearable Integrations
In 2021, there were 84 million fitness app users. So, chances are high that your members are using more than one app to track their fitness progress. The ability to connect your gym’s mobile app with their other fitness apps and wearable devices will make it much easier for both members and trainers to track progress and access health data from your app.
Nobody wants to log their nutrition, workouts, or other fitness info twice—and if they’re already using another app, they’ll probably choose to stay with that one and leave yours behind. Quick and easy app and wearable syncing will allow for more accurate tracking within your gym app and increase its value. Users should be able to integrate with top apps like Apple Health, GoogleFit, MyFitnessPal, and so on.
Trainer Communication
Another function gym members are looking for out of club apps is the ability to connect with their personal trainers. It should be easy for personal training clients to communicate with their trainers through your app and vice versa. This gives them easy and direct access to their most valuable resource from your club to ask questions, seek support, and stay motivated.
Your app can also be a good way for trainers to send clients their workouts and reminders to complete them. Then, they can see their progress and hold them more accountable.
Booking & Scheduling
Two things all gym mobile apps should offer at their core are convenience and flexibility. The most apparent way to do that is with the ability for members to book classes and training sessions through your app, as well as securely pay for those bookings at the same time. In-app bookings are another way to add value to your app and persuade members to download and use it.
Allowing members to book classes and schedule PT sessions in the app is a benefit for your team members too. They can spend less time taking care of those tasks for members at the desk and spend more time engaging with people on the floor. Plus, the easier and more convenient it is to book classes, the more classes members will book, and the more revenue you’ll bring in.
Workout Video Tutorials
Although many people have returned to the gym since the coronavirus closures, a lot of them are still working out at home as well. In a survey by SWNS Digital, two out of three Americans said that the pandemic made them realize they don’t need a gym to stay fit. By offering workout video tutorials on your app, you can engage with those people still working out at home full or part-time, as well as your in-person members.
Video tutorials are valuable content you can offer to increase members’ perceived value of your app. Trainers can also use these videos as they create and send workouts to their clients to provide further guidance.
Offer Your Members More with ASF Mobile
Adding a mobile app to your club’s offerings doesn’t have to be expensive and time-consuming. When you use ASF’s club management software, you can offer members everything they need with ASF Mobile.
ASF Mobile empowers your members by letting them book classes, schedule and pay for sessions, and integrate their fitness apps. It also streamlines operations for your staff, freeing up their time and allowing them to engage with members on a more personal level through direct chat, data tracking, workout templates, and more.
