A hybrid fitness business model offers both onsite workouts at the physical facility and remote workouts for members at home in the form of live streaming and on-demand classes.
Offering live and on-demand workouts for your members at home requires an investment in technology and instructors training. At first look, it might be counter-intuitive, especially after the devastating year the fitness industry has gone through.

If you take a deeper look, adopting a hybrid model seems to be a wise move, and here are the main reasons for that:

Because this is the future of fitness

Home fitness was one of the leading fitness trends during 2020 and is expected to remain a trend during 2021 and further. According to a recent poll of 2,000 people, 75% believe that it’s easier to stay fit at home.
Your existing members and your potential members want the option to work out from the comfort of their home at the right time that fits best with their schedule.

Because members are invested in equipment

During 2020, at-home equipment sales have increased drastically.  Health and fitness equipment revenue more than doubled, to $2.3 billion, from March to October that year. Your members and prospects who invested money in such equipment will want to continue using it. Giving them the option to utilize this equipment and join your workouts from home adds extra value.

Because it may be safer

The reopening of gyms and studios was allowed in phases and under strict restrictions, including safety and cleaning procedures. Moreover, fitness clubs had to reduce capacity to ensure the safety of their members. All the while, people have decided on their own not to attend the gyms and studios for the sake of avoiding exposure to infection. The hybrid fitness business model provides the perfect solution for both the trainees, who can join an online class without exposure to others and the club owners that, in this way, manage to retain their customers.

Because it extends your revenue stream 

If it has not yet, at some point, local restrictions will be lifted and your facility will be able to work at full capacity. Hopefully, that means that your group classes will get to a point where they are fully booked. A hybrid model will allow you to break the physical limits of your facility by adding members from home and increase your revenues.

Because it multiplies your potential customer base

The geographical location and size limit the potential customer base of traditional fitness centers. A report made by New York-based firm Dstillery, based on anonymized information from 7.5 million mobile devices, showed that the ideal distance to your fitness center is less than 4 miles. Letting prospects join your classes from home regardless of their geographical location is a game-changer. The hybrid model turns your business into a relevant solution for potentially anyone nationally.

Conclusion

The hybrid model can help with existing members retention and act as an additional channel to acquire new members by offering both the best of the two worlds. On the one hand, they can decide to visit your club, get the workout experience in person, and socialize with other members. On the other hand, they can choose to take a workout from home and enjoy its great benefits such as time-saving, privacy, and schedule flexibility.

We predict that this model will be at the core of the fitness industry in the next few years. Check out how Spivi can help you switch to a hybrid fitness business model and take control over the future of your fitness business.