Wodify Blog Series Reveals 45% of Members Quit before 90 Days

The numbers are in and gym owners may want to listen up. A new blog published by Wodify, the first in a new “Behind the Numbers” series found some concerning statistics when it comes to keeping members from walking out your doors. And while many owners are looking to bring in more clients fast, experts are saying it’s more about bringing in the right client for long-term success and a higher retention rate.

The details so far: Wodify has the largest dataset of fitness businesses in the CrossFit industry. In the first post called, “Behind the Numbers: 90 Day Client Retention” Wodify found a common theme surrounding retention at the three month mark. 

• 45% of new clients will cancel within their first 90 days.
• Of the members who make it past 90 days, 53% will stay for a year or more.

Brendan Rice, the Chief Marketing Officer for Wodify said, these were not numbers his team expected to see from gym owners.

• “These numbers were surprising for a few reasons. First, we were surprised to see the total percentage of clients who cancel within their first 90 days be so high,” said Rice.
• “The fitness industry feels so tight-knit so it was surprising to see how many people get started but then drop off. This illustrates the importance of a high-touch client experience, specifically early on when people can feel overwhelmed or intimidated.”

It’s important to note that these numbers were calculated prior to the pandemic. The team at Wodify used data taken more than 90 days before the Covid-19 pandemic was declared.

• Rice continued, “we were also surprised to see such a clear benchmark of 90 days as the ‘magic number’ for retention. It didn’t vary significantly by gym or region, there was a clear tipping point of retention at 90 days across all our customers.”
• “Lastly, we were glad to hear these findings resonated so much with some of the experienced and successful leaders in the fitness space.”

Why it matters: If gym owners are collectively seeing a drop off in membership after month three, what is the reasoning and how can they find a solution? The study revealed that it’s mostly about client experience and engagement.

In an effort to help other gyms, Wodify asked the experts to weigh in. They consulted with customers with the highest retention rates and other successful business owners to share tips and strategies on how to increase retention rate within the first 90 days. Their findings included:

• Find the right client.
• Provide a consistent, top tier experience.
• Create a client journal.
• Provide a personal touch to every new client.

As one of the largest datasets in the industry, the “Behind the Numbers” blog series was created to dig into the numbers and share insights to help gym owners make business decisions. Rice said, the business intelligence team saw an opportunity to share data that could help gym owners become more successful. 

• “We created this blog series in order to share specific metrics that are proven to drive results, insights from the most successful gyms, and how Wodify customers can track their progress.”
• “We are excited for the next two posts in this series. One is on improving lead conversions and the other on the data behind membership holds and how gym owners can recover more of that revenue,” said Rice.

The bottom line: If gym owners can improve retention, the fitness community will continue to grow and move the needle towards the ultimate goal of keeping more people healthy.