Wodify is a leading all-in-one fitness management software, trusted by over 5,000 of the world’s top businesses. With one of the largest & most accurate datasets in the industry, we decided to create this blog series in order to share specific metrics that are proven to drive results, insights from the most successful gyms, and how Wodify customers can track their progress. 

Intro

As September begins, so does the school year. It may not be New Years, but it is usually the time of year that schedules change: kids go back to school, parents’ schedules change, and it all has an impact on gym & studio schedules. 

Seasonality, specifically within Fall and Winter can prompt questions about attendance, membership sales, variance in class time attendance, and more. This analysis for Behind the Numbers dives into the effects of the seasons on gaining and losing clients in the fitness industry.

In this Behind the Numbers (BTN as we call it behind the scenes) blog post, we uncover that:

September and October are the highest months for gaining new members and losing members.

The typical gym or studio gains around 15 new members around the months of September and October, but still loses about 13 members. 

The Data Uncovered

The graph below shows new, lost, and net clients by month with data from the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand over the past 6 years. 

Top 4 months with the highest number of new members

1. January
2. September
3. October
4. August

Top 4 months with the highest number of lost members

1. September
2. October
3. November
4. December

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

Our main takeaway from this data is that monitoring member retention rates in the Fall is crucial. Now that you know that data trends show that more members are expected to leave your gym or studio in the Fall and Winter months, you can better prepare for these seasons. 

Here are three tips on improving member retention in the Fall and Winter months:

1. Create a custom report that tracks member attendance
   Based on Wodify data, new clients are 68% more likely to cancel their membership if they haven’t been to class in 20 or more days compared to long-term clients. In Wodify custom reporting, you can create a report that shows how long it’s been since a member has attended class. If a client hasn’t attended class in over 10 days, then you know it’s time to give them a call to check in!
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   Pro tip: Stay tuned for a groundbreaking Wodify feature that will solve the problem of member churn.
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2. Performance Tracking
   First and foremost, performance tracking. We’ve said it once and we’ll say it 100 more times. It’s easy for clients to come up with excuses to not attend your gym or studio between cold weather, shorter days, and holiday seasons, so you need to provide more value than online options. Read more here about how member performance tracking can increase retention by 20%.
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3. Host a holiday party
   One thing about a gym or studio that is irreplaceable is the community. By hosting a gym or studio Halloween party or Holiday party, you give members a chance to interact with each other in a more social setting. When members feel more comfortable in the community, they are less likely to leave. 

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:

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 

Lead Conversion Rate & Attendance