Paradigm shifts are rarely as sudden and jolting as recent ones. The growth of technology and the ongoing COVID-19 crisis are evidence of that. What’s become clear as the industry moves forward is just how essential digital platforms and tools are to not just success but survival.
Today’s health club apps and digital platforms need to perform on the member experience level, of course, but the upgraded versions are more robust. They serve business-to-business functions, helping to make your employees more efficient. These next-level digital tools deliver analytics, tracking targeted revenue goals and KPIs that help you make decisions on the fly.
At the same time, consumers are demanding more from their health club apps. Today’s fitness facilities have to be accessible anywhere, anytime, with on-demand premium content and personalized member services. And, as more equipment become smart and wearables become more diverse and data-rich, apps will have to be able to communicate with multiple platforms in one secure, omnichannel network.
Digital platforms and services are nothing less than “the fourth industrial revolution,” say experts, and if your technology is not up to snuff, you’ll go the way of the steam locomotive. After the experiences of the last few months, many club operators realize the stakes are higher than ever.
As laid out in the recent IHRSA’s 230 Million by 2030 Report, the future is almost exclusively mobile. “According to a report by CNBC, projections from the World Advertising Research Center (WARC) estimate that ‘72.6 percent of internet users will access the web solely via their smartphones by 2025, equivalent to nearly 3.7 billion people.’”