What percentage of gym memberships go unused?
67% of people never use their gym membership. Check out this guide to learn more about what percentage of people do not use their gym membership and why. If your gym is crowded in January but empty in February, youāre not alone.
- Up to 67 percent of gym memberships go completely unused.
- Some gyms build their gym business model (like the Planet Fitness business model) on the bet that most people will stay home.
- To help increase gym member retention, make your gym a place of fitness community and social engagement.
Every January, gyms are flooded with new members who have listed exercise among their New Year’s resolutions. But within a few weeks, it seems like all those new members somehow vanished into thin air. What happened? Check out these gym membership statistics, and how you can tackle gym member problems head on:
| Statistic | Data | How Gym Owners Can Reduce Attrition |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of gym memberships not used | 67% | Engage members with automated reminders and progress tracking. |
| Percentage of people who use their gym membership regularly | 33% | Offer personalized training plans and habit-tracking tools. |
| Percentage of new gym members who quit within 6 months | 50% | Provide onboarding programs to build long-term fitness habits. |
| Percentage of gym members who attend less than once per week | 40% | Use engagement tactics like challenges and rewards programs. |
| Percentage of gym-goers who remain consistent for more than a year | 20% | Encourage community-building and social workout groups. |
| Percentage of gym memberships that are canceled within the first year | 30% | Improve renewal rates with flexible contracts and incentives. |
| Percentage of gym members who pay but never visit the gym | 20% | Use data-driven outreach to reactivate inactive members. |
| Average gym membership retention rate | 50-60% | Implement retention strategies with Exercise.comās automation tools. |
We all probably know someone who pays for a gym membership they never use, but is that the norm? What percentage of gym memberships go unused? And why does this happen?
Is there a better way to retain gym membersālike with great gym member features and amenities, or custom branded fitness apps, or fitness automations?
Yes!
If you’re ready for answers, then keep reading for more gym membership statistics you can use to make your gym successful, and then learn how to increase gym member retention with the best fitness business software platform around: Exercise.com.
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Communicate with gym members via SMS, email, and in-app push notification so that you can engage your gym members and retain them.
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All from your custom-branded fitness apps (Read More: Best Gym Mobile Fitness Apps Software)
Exercise.com can help you streamline your gym operations with the best gym management software platform and best personal training software platform so you can focus on gym member retention. Book a demo to learn more!
What percentage of gym members actually go to the gym?
USA Today reports that a full 67 percent of gym memberships go completely unused. But even among those who do use their gym membership, many are not exactly what you’d call regulars. Per Finder.com, 56.6 percent of members use the gym twice a week, 20.7 go once a week, 6 percent go once a month, and 7.4 percent go less than once a month.
Considering the average gym membership costs $60 per month, that’s quite a lot of wasted money. In fact, Americans blow $397 million annually on gym memberships that they never use.
How Many People Have Gym Memberships But Donāt Go?
ā Up to 67% of gym memberships go completely unused, meaning many people pay for a membership but donāt show up.
ā What percentage of people use their gym membership? Only about 33% consistently attend.
ā Gym statistics show that 50% of new members quit within six months, often due to lack of engagement or motivation.
ā How many people have a gym membership but donāt go? Studies indicate 20% never visit the gym after signing up.
How Exercise.com Helps Reduce Unused Gym Memberships
š¢ Exercise.com is the best gym management software for engaging and retaining members. With features like:
ā
Automated member follow-ups to encourage attendance.
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Personalized workout plans and fitness habit tracking.
ā
Fitness challenges and reward programs to boost motivation.
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Data-driven retention strategies to reduce cancellations.
š¢ Want to improve gym retention? Request a demo of Exercise.com today! š
Why do so many gym memberships go unused?
According to NPR, there’s a very specific reason why so many people buy a gym membership but never use it: gyms like it that way.
A common gym tactic is to specifically recruit people who don’t enjoy exercising and then bet that most of them will stay home. This allows the gym to accumulate far more members than their facility can reasonably hold at any given time. For example, the average Planet Fitness has 6,500 members, but its gyms can only accommodate 300 people at a time.
This overselling strategy not only benefits the gym’s bottom line; it also benefits the members who do actually use their memberships. The money paid by non-gym-going members works as a subsidy to keep membership costs down.
How can I improve member retention at my gym?
If you prefer to see your members’ faces and not just their names on automatic monthly payments, there are many ways you can help increase member retention at your gym:
- Hire friendly, welcoming staff
- Make your gym a place of community and social engagement
- Help beginners cultivate a good routine
- Stay engaged with your members via email, social media, a member portal, etc.
Use the best gym member management software to retain and engage your members.
The Bottom Line: What percentage of people do not use their gym membership?
That new member you just signed up to your gym? There’s a 67 percent chance you won’t see them again. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Help your members feel more like individuals and less like a number on a roster, and you’ll soon have a facility full of loyal gym-goers.
If you’re ready to take your gym to the next level for your members, Exercise.com can help. Book a demo to find out more.
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