A hardcore of morning exercisers, a lunchtime influx and then the predictable evening rush hour. Sound like a familiar pattern of attendance at your gym? Meanwhile, facilities lie all but empty during off-peak daytime hours – but rent, utilities and staff costs still need to be paid.
True, new offerings such as virtual group exercise allow for studios to be made use of off-peak, when instructor-led classes aren’t cost-effective. And there are some operators who offer things like senior sessions during quieter times, or who open their doors to schools so kids can use their facilities for PE lessons. But surely there’s more the fitness sector could be doing to drive usage of its facilities during quieter times, and with it extract maximum value from them?
Other sectors – notably the airlines – have strong yield management models, making sure as many seats as possible are filled on each flight. But, while the fitness sector is finally seeing some innovation in this area thanks to newcomers like Dibs – founded in New York in June 2015, which is helping studios fill classes and boost revenue via dynamic pricing – there’s still a long way to go for health club operators.
We ask the experts for their advice on how to improve yield management in the health and fitness sector.