Forming a base of loyal customers of the sports club with the help of a mobile app

735 29-06-23 Read Time: 10 min

The successful operation of a sports club is impossible without a community of regular customers who buy subscriptions and services, regularly attend training sessions, recommend the club to their friends and will not look for another club. A loyal customer base is not only financial stability, but also competitiveness, an important part of the club’s image, and the ability to plan and set ambitious goals. If a club has regular customers, it can develop without worrying about the demand for its services.

How do you turn a one-off customer into a regular? Good service, quality services, excellent marketing, reasonable prices – all these are essential but not sufficient conditions. You need a technical tool that acts as a link between the sports club and the public, a means of communication and an assistant in solving urgent problems. The best option is a mobile application with a user-friendly interface and useful functions.

What the user is interested in

Organisation and planning

Training schedule. The current schedule is always at your fingertips, no need to hunt for information or call the manager. If there are any changes to the schedule, the client will be notified.

Catalogue of services. The application contains a complete list of services available to the client – group and individual classes, fitness and gym, swimming pool, sauna, massage, etc. The catalogue should have a clear structure, a detailed description and an online booking button.

Reminders. Push notifications can remind you not only of your next workout, but also of any other event. The mobile sports application becomes a convenient tool for planning your time.

Online registration. To sign up for a group or individual lesson with your chosen instructor, there is no need to go to the website or call reception, just a few seconds – and the record is created and stored in your personal locker.

Online payment. You can pay for services directly in the application – buy a subscription, additional services or products. The application is integrated with the secure online payment system.

Interesting and useful

Announcements and news. When the training schedule changes, a new trainer arrives, a branch opens, a special offer is launched, an event is planned or the terms and conditions change, the user receives all the news about the club’s activities in the app. The customer is always up to date and won’t miss anything of interest.

Information about types of training. It can be difficult for new visitors to understand the specifics of the sessions – how they work and what level of fitness is required. To find out more about any workout, just click on it in the timetable or catalogue.

Coaches database. For many people, the professionalism of the coaches plays an important role in choosing a sports club, so it is important to provide full information about the coaching staff, including a photo, a list of achievements and the areas of work of each specialist in the application.

Rating and reviews. A registered user can leave a suggestion on how to improve the services, rate, write a review about the coach, the work of the administrators and the service in general. The presence of honest feedback strengthens trust in the sports club and gives the customer the pleasant feeling that their opinion is heard and taken into account.

The sports guide. A special section is dedicated to useful information, tips and tricks and video training sessions. Such an ‘encyclopaedia’ contains materials that help to train more effectively, monitor health, weight and nutrition. The user will not be bored if the content is personalised. Of course, for this section to work to its full potential, resources need to be invested in the quality of the content and its regular updating.

Online shop. If a sports club chain sells products from partners on its own website, it can be synchronised with the app. The online shop and the app will work completely in sync, including updating the catalogue, adjusting prices, taking orders and processing payments. And if you’re not already doing so, perhaps it’s time to start thinking about brand integration and launching your own in-app shop.

Private Office

Personal training calendar. If the client is following an individual training programme, a personal training schedule is created in the app. This can also be accessed by the personal trainer. The functionality can be arranged in the form of a calendar, where a specific training schedule is created, planned visits, a set of exercises for each date, homework and the trainer’s recommendations are noted.

Track your progress and achievements. The mobile app becomes your personal fitness diary. Here you can track your progress according to various parameters – weight gain or loss, volume changes, kilometres travelled, gym attendance statistics. The user can receive rewards for each achievement, both symbolic and tangible (e.g. bonuses in the account). Other useful features are built into the app, including integration with Google Fit or Apple Health:

• Calorie calculator;
• Ration Designer;
• A food diary;
• Stopwatch;
• Pedometer;
• Health calendar;
• Photo gallery and more.

Online training sessions. If you can’t make it to the gym for any reason, you can schedule a workout with a personal trainer online via video link. This option helps you stay fit while travelling or on holiday, so you can return to the gym after a forced break.

Interface customisation. The user customises the application according to their preferences – choosing a design theme, language, fonts, colour scheme.

Communications

Communicating with trainers. It is important for a regular user to keep in touch with a personal trainer. An alternative to the usual messengers is a special form in the mobile application – it is more convenient, as the chat is not lost among dozens of others, the correspondence history is always at hand. It is possible to communicate both in text format and via video link.

Communicate with management. If necessary, you can contact the receptionist – either by chat or by making a voice call in the app. This option helps the club to resolve issues quickly and not leave the customer alone with difficulties.

Community. A local social network is created with all the usual options – likes, reposts, adding friends, etc. Visitors can communicate with each other, share experiences and find like-minded people. A few ideas:

• Open fitness diaries and photo galleries with user comments;
• Group chats and interest groups;
• A forum where issues can be raised for public discussion.

Loyalty programme

Promotions section. There is a special section where you can find out about current promotions running or planned for the near future. These may include discounts, special prices, free offers, birthday and other promotions.

Bonus accumulation. The longer a member stays with the Club, the more rewards they receive. A personal account shows the number of accumulated bonuses, which can be used to pay for part or all of the services, purchase merchandise, goods in the branded online shop and the fitness bar. The ability to accumulate rewards encourages customers to stay with the club for longer periods of time.

Promo codes. The user receives personalised promo codes for the purchase of subscriptions and other services. The promo code is automatically applied in the application and the price is recalculated with the discount.

5 tricks to keep regulars coming back to your sports club with an app

1. Subscription with automatic renewal

An effective way to retain a visitor is to offer them a subscription to the club. A loyalty card is linked to the app and a regular monthly payment is set up to automatically renew the subscription. There’s no need to keep track of when the subscription expires, no need to pay manually every month – the app makes the payment itself on the correct date, with no gaps between subscriptions. Customers quickly get used to the convenience of renewal. Automatic payment, subscription term calculation, discounts and the ability to cancel a subscription are all implemented in the mobile app.

2. Personalise the app

By offering a maximum of personalised options, the sports club maintains the interest of the audience and builds trust. This gives the customer the feeling that the service is tailored to them. What tools are used:

• Personalised offers;
• Individual training plans;
• A personal calendar and diary;
• Track your own progress;
• Personalised content;
• Immediate feedback from trainers and administrators.

3. Special offers for loyal customers

It’s easy to turn any marketing idea into a mobile app:

• Offer discounts;
• Reduced prices for long-term subscriptions (half-yearly, annual);
• Personalise the sentences;
• Participate in actions;
• Earn bonuses.

You can use push notifications, post information directly in sections of the app, publish crossed-out prices with discounts, and take discounts into account when paying. All of this reassures your audience that being a loyal customer is profitable, convenient and rewarding.

4. Creating a community

To bring regulars together and create a special fitness community, a variety of events are organised – sports competitions, joint activities, conferences, informal recreation and ‘weight loss marathons’. It’s a big and complicated job, but it can be made much easier with a mobile app. Regular customers have access to a private area where they can follow events, share experiences, socialise and immerse themselves in club life.

5. Feedback

Thanks to the mobile app, the fitness club is able to maintain feedback with its customers – taking into account their suggestions and complaints, identifying weaknesses and problems that need to be solved. All this is a quality basis for improving the service, working effectively on errors and responding quickly to requests. Visitors will be grateful for the prompt elimination of inconveniences, the appearance of new services in demand and the resolution of urgent issues. Feedback and appeals to the administration are a source of useful information that helps the club develop in the right direction.

What are the benefits of a mobile app for a health club?

• The trust of existing customers is strengthened. A user-friendly mobile app offers many benefits to the sports club’s customers – it’s perceived positively by the audience. People feel cared for by the club, making them more loyal and responsive to marketing offers.
• Customers get a ‘sports club on their smartphone’. Visitors have no problems or inconveniences, any questions are answered in a few minutes and, if necessary, information can be quickly obtained or services can be ordered. The additional functionality makes the app an indispensable tool for planning and building a training programme.
• Competitiveness increases. If the quality of service is the same between two competitors, the customer is likely to choose the sports club that has a user-friendly app. Often such a tool becomes a decisive competitive advantage.
• More options for marketers. Thanks to the functionality of the mobile app, the marketing department can instantly communicate its offers to customers and count on their loyal perception.

A mobile app connects a sports club with its audience, creating the most enjoyable and profitable environment possible, where visitors don’t look for other clubs, but become satisfied and grateful loyal customers. And to do this effectively, you need a comprehensive professional approach to the design and development of the application, a thorough analysis of the business and the competition, and the alignment of the functionality with your marketing strategy. If this is the approach you would like to take to your project, we would be delighted to work with you.