Posted on February 5, 2016
The move towards digital technology will be a key focus within the fitness industry in 2016. Undoubtedly consumer wearables and the data they provide are a key trend. However, there are opportunities for club operators to enhance their offerings through the use of technology. Clubs can leverage technology to focus on both member and staff engagement, retention and education, whilst having a greater opportunity than ever to really understand and optimise their businesses.
The following reports and posts from some of the most influential members of the fitness industry show predictions and trends for the fitness industry for 2016. How is the fitness industry going to navigate this digital revolution?
David Minton Director of Leisure DB published Fitness Predictions for 2016 on 1st Feb 2016.
We believe this ten point list is right on the mark. With regard to technology David has the following to say:
“2016 will be the year of aggregators, bloggers, unboxing channels, trackers, wearables and an app for everything that targets the fitness consumer. Woe betide any brand that doesn’t react.”
“Real-time transparent data on timetables, bookings and smooth payments will be king in 2016. Pdf’s, telephone bookings and credit cards are dead or dying.”
On 1st January the Fitness Industry Technology Council published the 2016 Technology Trend Report.
We couldn’t agree more with their findings and the following 2 statements really stuck out for us:
- “the most successful fitness brands will be digital masters”
- “The underlying theme is that consumer centric value propositions influenced by technology are how fitness businesses should be redefining themselves for the future.”
The club of 2020 – Fitness Industry Technology Council
In October 2015 The fitness Industry Technology Council produced a fantastic paper on how technology is changing the fitness Industry. What really stood out for us was the section on personalisation. Data is everywhere – how can health clubs use it to improve the experience of their members. How can smart devices improve member engagement? How can digital technology empower staff?
ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal WORLDWIDE SURVEY OF FITNESS TRENDS FOR 2016: 10th Anniversary Edition – Nov/Dec 2015 Walter R Thompson
The top trend identified was wearable technology – no real surprise there. What we found interesting was the importance of educated certified and experienced fitness professionals and the rising importance of personal training. We believe the use of technology to provide greater service offerings to you members and provide easier cheaper and more scalable ways to educate members and staff will be critical.
American Council of Exercise – 10 Fitness Trends to Look out for in 2016-02-01 Pete McCall
In this report ACE highlight how the increased use of technology to take physiological measurements can enhance the service that a personal trainer can provide to his clients. We see this digitization of assessments as a major trend for 2016. Assessments can be made and tracked in real time for members, so health clubs can further personalise their experience.
We really hope you enjoyed our blog on technology in the Fitness Industry
Emma Excell
Fisika COO
Tagged: #BryanO'Rourke #DavidMinton #EmmaExcell #Fisikal #FitnessIndustry #FitTechCouncil #LeisureDB