The fitness industry continues to evolve, presenting both challenges and opportunities for business owners. To better understand these dynamics, Promotion Vault recently conducted its Fitness Revenue Pulse Survey, gathering insights from fitness professionals across the industry.
The results provide valuable perspectives on current challenges and strategic priorities for 2025.
Looking Back: 2024’s Revenue Challenges
Our survey revealed that member acquisition and conversion remained significant challenges throughout 2024. The most pressing issues identified by respondents were:
- Low guest-to-member conversion rates emerged as the primary concern, with 37% of respondents identifying this as their main challenge
- Initial personal training consultation rates followed closely, with 26% citing this as a major revenue obstacle
- Lead generation effectiveness was also notable, with 16% reporting challenges in their lead-to-guest ratio
These findings suggest that while businesses are successfully attracting initial interest, converting that interest into long-term membership remains a crucial area for improvement.
Strategic Focus Areas for 2025
When asked about their strategic priorities for 2025, fitness business owners showed a clear focus on early-stage engagement:
- A majority (56%) plan to prioritize increasing new member visits, recognizing the crucial role of early engagement in member retention
- Lead conversion optimization ranked second, with 12% focusing on improving their lead-to-guest ratio
- Guest-to-member conversion improvements came in third at 11%, highlighting the continued emphasis on converting facility visitors into members
Anticipated Implementation Challenges
While businesses have clear objectives for 2025, they also identified several potential obstacles to achieving these goals:
- Team buy-in emerged as the primary concern, with 37% citing this as their main challenge
- Technical implementation challenges followed closely at 33%
- Resource limitations rounded out the top three at 21%
Looking Ahead
These survey results highlight a clear industry-wide focus on optimizing the member acquisition journey, from initial contact through to active membership. The emphasis on new member visits suggests a growing recognition of the importance of early engagement in building lasting member relationships.
The challenges identified, particularly around team buy-in and technical implementation, underscore the need for solutions that are both user-friendly and capable of demonstrating clear value to all stakeholders. This aligns perfectly with the industry’s movement toward more automated, data-driven approaches to member engagement and retention.
As we move through 2025, these insights will be valuable for fitness businesses planning their growth strategies and for technology providers developing solutions to support the industry’s evolution.
For more information about how Promotion Vault can help address these challenges through automated rewards and engagement solutions, contact our team today.