Intro

In September, we wrote about why fall is the most important season to nurture your new members. We uncovered that Fall is the most popular season for joining a new gym & studio with January as a close 2nd. 

In this edition of Behind the Numbers, we go deeper into this analysis and ask the question: just because more members sign up in the Fall and January, does that mean these members are creating the most value? Read on to find out.

In this BTN (yeah, that’s our slang for Behind the Numbers) we analyze the value of clients’ first six months by the month that they joined and you’ll find out…

1. Which quarter should you prioritize signing up new clients?
2. Which clients generate the most revenue?
3. Is there a trend where clients who sign-up during a certain quarter generate more revenue than others?

We’ll answer all of these questions, so read on!

The Data Uncovered

To put it into slightly clearer terms, we analyzed the six-month value of clients based on what month they joined their gym or studio. We looked at over 230K clients at over 700 of our gyms & studios to answer your questions. 

So, does the month a client joins in actually affect the clients’ six-month value? The short answer, YES.

The graph below shows the six-month client value by month. We can see here that clearly the Fall months rank the highest in terms of new clients that create the most value in a six month period with January as a close second.

A few takeaways:

• We believe this is the case because Fall tends to be the start of a new academic year, where we tend to establish new routines coming off of Summer
• January also tends to have higher value because it is another time of year when people re-establish fitness routines for the new year over the course of the next 6 months
• May and June tend to be the lowest months since clients often put their memberships on pause for the Summer

Top months for generating revenue with new client sign-ups

The infographic below shows that the average six-month client value is $493. 

The best quarter for signing up clients is Q3 with an average six-month client value of $517. 

The top 3 months for generating revenue with new client sign-ups in the first 6-months are:

1. September with a $542 six-month client value
2. October with a $538 six-month client value
3. August with a $521 six-month client value

The Impact on a Fitness Business Owner’s Bottom Line + Tips

1. This data tells us a lot about when to put energy into signing up new students. For example, July would be a great time to start planning your client acquisition strategy to launch in August and September. Additionally, the beginning of December would be a great time to start planning a new acquisition strategy to launch in January. 

2. Come up with a lead nurturing strategy. Once you get people in the door come up with the best ways to nurture your potential clients and newest members to ensure they stay for the long haul.

3. Create the best-in-class experience for your members. With more people working out at home, more than ever, clients are expecting technology savvy fitness studios. Wodify has you covered with our brand new Kiosk+, a customizable, multi-column digital display that creates a modernized in-class experience for your athletes. Find out how to get access to Kisok+ here. 

We hope you found these insights & advice useful for your business! Keep an eye out for more posts in this series as we continue to explore the data in Wodify. 

If you aren’t using Wodify yet, you can book a free consultation here.

Want to keep learning? Check out our other Behind The Numbers posts:

Why Fall is the Most Important Season to Nurture Your Members

How You Should Really Be Keeping Track of Your Business Data

The Secret To Saving Time & Money as a Fitness Business Owner

Why Every Gym Needs Client Performance Tracking