Why brand consistency (within a digital member experience) is important for franchised fitness businesses

The successful integration of digital solutions and technology has become a distinguishing factor for modern fitness franchises. From customized apps and user-friendly booking systems to AI-powered customer service, the seamless blend of technology and fitness is revolutionizing how franchised clubs operate and engage with their members.

Distinguishing Modern Fitness Franchises with Technology

Health clubs and gym businesses have traditionally relied on a conventional approach to member management and engagement. By conventional, I mean old-fashioned: manual check-ins and reservations, limited personalization, generic programming, outdated communication channels (SMS, printed newsletters), minimal data utilization etc..

Those that still deploy this approach are in danger of not only operating inefficiently, but also providing inconsistent and disengaging member experiences.?

In contrast, the most successful fitness franchises are now leveraging cutting-edge technology to create seamless, engaging, and personalized experiences for their members.

So, how are they doing that?

?? Customized and Branded Apps: Franchised operators are developing their own branded apps –?or use white label solutions – to serve as a central hub for members. These apps provide everything from workout tracking, class scheduling and on-demand training sessions to community forums, nutritional advice and mental health training. As a result, members are more engaged with a brand and use the apps to book classes, track their progress and receive personalized workout recommendations.

? Member-Friendly Booking Systems: Efficient and user-friendly booking systems are essential as they often integrate with mobile apps, enabling members to book their classes with just a few taps on their smartphones.?

? AI-Powered Customer Service: Artificial intelligence is increasingly being utilized to enhance customer service. AI chatbots can handle common inquiries, provide information about memberships and classes and even offer personalized workout advice. AI not only improves customer satisfaction, but frees up staff to focus on more complex tasks.

Maintaining Consistency Across All Touchpoints

The most successful fitness franchises have realized the importance of ensuring consistency across all touchpoints. This involves aligning the digital platforms with the physical locations and maintaining a cohesive brand identity.

For example, the tone of voice in communications has become a huge factor in recent years. Whether through email newsletters, social media posts or in-app notifications, the tone of voice represents the brand and should reflect its personality, vision and mission. Consistency in messaging helps build trust and familiarity among members.?

No matter how or where a customer interacts with a fitness franchise, they should receive the same core message and experience. This doesn’t mean generic, however. Personalization of those core messages and experiences are key, because it creates the feeling of the brand “talking” to the member. This in turn builds brand loyalty and enhances member satisfaction.

The Snap Fitness way

At Snap Fitness, we recognized early on the transformation our industry would undergo following the pandemic. We successfully pivoted and placed technological advancements in the heart of our repositioning to become a holistic wellness brand. As a result, we have adopted a number of value-adding technologies for the benefit of members.

Members now choose (and stay with) Snap Fitness because our franchisees are on a mission to help people create positive lifestyle habits. We’ve reframed working out by replacing the perception of gyms as scary and competitive with a reality that’s accessible, powerfully positive, and 100% enjoyable.

And it is our technology that both delivers that message and makes it “stick” – in the gym and outside of it.?

As part of our tech approach, we earlier this year upgraded our industry-leading Snap App, enhancing its members’ omnichannel fitness experience.?

With a refreshed User interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design, Snap App 2.0 has made it an even more comprehensive and personalized platform. We added improved navigation and reorganized our content, offering users a more intuitive experience.?

We also added content tracking, with users now being able to “add” their favorite videos, allowing them to find them later. A full history of previously viewed content can also be viewed.?

The app has already seen a strong start to 2024, with 65.8% more users globally compared to January of 2023. This shows how delivering a consistent brand message?that resonates with members – both digitally and at the gym floor – can deliver member experiences that translate to healthy bottom lines for our franchisees.?

Want to know more about how Snap Fitness has become the leading fitness franchise in the world? Get in touch!?