Digital fitness platforms – should gyms build their own, or utilize existing ones?

Offering a digital fitness platform as part of a gym membership is no longer just a nice-to-have – it has become a necessity.?

The “pivot to digital” that was nudged into motion by the pandemic means that consumers now expect flexible, on-demand workouts that they can access anywhere, at any time. We know that 85% of gym members now use digital fitness services. There is also an increased demand for personalized, immersive experiences that keep exercisers motivated and connected, whether they're at the gym, at home or on the go.?

Adopting an omnichannel approach ensures gyms remain competitive in a dynamic market. But as gym operators look to launch their own digital platforms, the big question is: should they build their own digital apps, or opt for existing solutions and third-party/white-label platforms? Because, for gym operators, the decision between building a custom fitness app and opting for a white-label solution can be a pivotal one. Each route has its benefits and challenges.

1. Building a Custom Digital Fitness Platform

Building a bespoke digital platform can offer gym operators complete control over the design, features, and user experience. However, developing a custom app comes with significant challenges:

• High Costs: Designing and developing a fully functional digital fitness platform from scratch requires a substantial financial investment. Beyond initial development, there are ongoing costs for maintenance, constant updates, need for security features and bug fixes.
• Long Development Time: Custom solutions take time to build, often spanning months or even years before going live. This long lead time can slow down efforts to keep up with industry trends.
• Technical Expertise: Maintaining a custom digital platform requires hiring an in-house tech team or contracting experts, adding to the operational complexity of running a gym.

2. Using a White-Label Digital Fitness Solution

In contrast, opting for a white-label solution (such as Fitness On Demand ) allows gym operators to leverage a ready-made platform that can be branded to look and feel like their own. White-label solutions come with a host of advantages:

• Faster Time to Market: White-label solutions are pre-built and ready to deploy, allowing gym operators to quickly integrate digital fitness offerings into their memberships.
• Lower Costs: Instead of the high upfront costs of building an app, operators can pay a subscription fee or a licensing cost, significantly reducing financial risk.
• Proven Technology: Established white-label platforms like Fitness On Demand have been tested and refined, ensuring stability and a strong user experience.
• Access to Premium Content: Platforms are increasingly investing in high-caliber content. At Fitness On Demand, for example, we provide gyms with access to a vast library of high-quality fitness content, including on-demand classes, nutrition guidance and workout tracking.
• Easy integration: Creating an app from scratch will mean that the software will need to “talk” to your existing systems (or worse, you might need to invest in new ones). Most white-label apps have this functionality built in.?
• Customization: You might think that you get more customization with an app built from scratch,?but this is not the case, especially with Fitness on Demand. We offer a 360-degree solution which not only covers a fully-customized, world class-app, but everything from in-gym signage to tailored programming. The solution is fully personalized to reflect the operator’s branding, making it feel like a proprietary app while benefiting from an established platform.

You might call me biased, but I can’t find many reasons facility operators should go through the pain, the cost, the effort and inevitable delays involved in bringing a digital platform to market (never mind ensuring it keeps customers’ data safe and offering enough content and other regular updates to keep them happy). Lastly –?but perhaps most importantly –?any new solution would need to stand up to the quality of existing solutions, as members will compare its performance against them.?

Choosing the right approach to an omnichannel fitness solution can make or break a gym’s retention and engagement strategy. Leveraging a white-label solution like Fitness On Demand offers a streamlined and cost-effective way to deliver engaging, branded digital experiences that keep members connected and motivated –?both inside and outside the gym.

This balance of technology and content is what sets modern fitness apart, and tapping into existing solutions allows gyms to stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving industry.