First-Month Visits Predict Member Retention – Are You Paying Attention?

As we near the end of ‘the golden quarter’ (the period from January to March when gyms typically see a surge in new memberships), with many clubs reporting good sales at the start of 2025, focus must turn to member retention, if it hasn’t already. The real challenge now is ensuring your new members (and those who returned with new health and fitness goals) establish a consistent routine and remain engaged.

One of the most significant predictors of long-term retention is a member’s first month activity. Do they engage in a range of activities in your club, or more simply how many first month visits do they make?

It’s incredible to think that over 10% of joiners never make a visit at some low-cost fitness clubs. And almost another 10% make only one visit, ever. Budget gyms have done some great things in bringing fitness to millions of new members, but while online joining and optional inductions help sales, these practices hurt retention.

Retention Starts with Culture: The Power of Member Interactions

After a positive start to 2025 for many clubs, February is about maintaining membership sales momentum, but more importantly, focusing on retaining all your new members (and the existing ones) as long as possible.

Filling a leaky bucket doesn’t make sense—stop losing members by focusing on retention, not just sales.

Retention isn’t about complicated strategies—it’s about talking to people, consistently and meaningfully.

How Personal Trainers Can Grow Their Business with HealthSeeker Strategies

Expanding a PT business typically requires higher paying clients or longer working hours. 

Another way is to resonate with a broader audience through HealthSeeker strategies, which focus on engaging the 85% of the population who are not currently members of gyms or health clubs. 

By tailoring your services to meet the needs of these individuals, you can unlock a largely untapped market and establish a thriving, inclusive business model. It also talks to a lot of good PT’s core values of helping people with their long-term health, rather than a quick fix weight loss goal.

This article was originally published in FitPro. Click here to check out their other great resources and education. 

Boost Member Retention: The Power of Group Exercise for New Joiners

Looking for new ways of getting your new members to stick around longer? Group exercise could be the key.  

This article explores why group fitness classes are a game changer for retention and offers practical strategies to engage with more of your new members.

Onboarding focus

While onboarding often focuses on individual inductions, integrating group exercise into the process can significantly boost engagement and retention.

It may not be easy – many popular classes are full, and the timetable can be a bone of contention with members trying to book, so staff might avoid exacerbating the issues. But you have to work on the harder stuff to get greater success.

Class members stay longer; an average of 2 extra months

But most operators know that class members stay longer. Our research shows that booking a class is as effective as, or more effective than an induction at increasing engagement. 

Members who attend at least one class in their first month make 1-2 more first month visits (FMVs) than those who don’t attend any classes, and they will stay around 2 months longer on average. 

The HealthSeeker Movement

Introduction: A New Focus for the Fitness Industry

With industry bodies pushing to increase engagement in physical activity beyond 20%, the fitness industry must ask itself: Are we focusing on the right strategies to reach the majority? 

While some operator’s memberships are diversifying to include GP services and specialist health checks, these options often come at a premium, leaving many behind. 

If the goal is truly to improve public health, we need a more inclusive approach—one that extends beyond the 15% currently engaged in fitness facilities and reaches the broader population looking to improve their health.

Retention Mastery: scalr Welcomes Guy Griffiths to Drive Innovation and Growth

In a strategic move to fuel growth, fitness software startup scalr has strengthened its advisory board by welcoming Guy Griffiths, founder of GGFit, a renowned expert in retention strategies.

This partnership combines vast expertise in retention and predictive behaviour analytics with data intelligence, offering gym operators an opportunity to leverage new insights for improving member engagement.

Michael Theodore, co-founder of scalr, says: "Our proprietary algorithm predicts individual member behaviours, allowing operators to spot early habit changes. This enables proactive interventions that can make the difference between disengagement and renewed commitment.

Noas Saghir, Guy Griffiths, and Michael Theodore

“Having Guy, one of the world’s leading retention specialists officially join our team as is really exciting. Combining our technology with the knowledge that he’s accumulated over the last 20 years in this industry gives our customers the best possible chance of supercharging their member engagement and retention.”

scalr partners with fitness facilities globally, promoting health and wellness through its trailblazing software. By harnessing behavioural analytics, scalr helps reduce member churn and extend the lifespan of memberships. Great not only for the health of the individuals but also for the bottom line of the operator. 

Guy Griffiths adds: "Member retention remains ongoing challenge for gyms. If we could collectively extend each member’s stay by just one month, the industry would see exponential growth. But achieving this requires more than just wishful thinking.

"By combining scalr’s technological solutions with real-world experience, we offer a powerful proposition for improving member retention. I’m excited to contribute to developing new methods that help people stay on track with their health and fitness journeys. This aligns with my core purpose of getting members to stick around longer, but also linking with my latest mission of engaging and supporting HealthSeekers.” 

Boosting Retention with Education: Empower Your Staff and Your Members

The more we explore the relationship between retention and education in health and fitness clubs, the clearer it becomes that they are deeply intertwined. In fact, a well-educated member is not only more likely to stay committed but also more engaged in their fitness journey.

As well as training, developing, and progressing staff, you need to educate your members on a wide range of topics, which helps with retention for both members and staff.

Staff Education - Technical and Soft Skills

Most staff have technical skills through training, whether a level 1, 2, 3, etc fitness instructor, or lifeguard qualifications, which have mandatory and regular updates to maintain safety standards.

HealthSeekers as a Retention Strategy

Implementing a HealthSeeker project can significantly boost member retention for fitness clubs.

While many gyms focus on upselling or premium memberships, the HealthSeekers model offers a fresh approach, prioritizing long-term engagement over quick gains. By thinking beyond traditional membership structures, fitness operators can discover numerous direct and indirect benefits, from reducing attrition to enhancing the overall member experience.

Future Fit for Business Partners with GGFit to Release Suite of Retention Courses

Future Fit for Business and GGFit Collaborate to Launch Comprehensive Retention Training Suite for Leisure and Fitness Clubs. [PRESS RELEASE]

Future Fit for Business, a leading provider of professional training and development in the health and fitness industry, has partnered with GGFit, a specialist in member retention strategies, to launch a new suite of retention courses. This new training is designed to empower leisure and fitness clubs with the tools and knowledge needed to significantly improve member retention, engagement, boost health and fitness outcomes and build overall business success.

The retention suite comprises three courses, each tailored to different levels of staff. 

• Membership Retention Essentials: Aimed at all staff, this course introduces the importance of retention, what it means to individual roles, and how daily actions can positively impact member retention. 
• Core Retention Knowledge for Fitness Professionals: This course delves deeper into effective retention strategies, focusing on member engagement and personalised support. 
• Advanced Retention Strategy for Management: This course offers in-depth training for managers, equipping them with the strategic insight needed to implement and oversee successful retention initiatives across their clubs.

Why People, Not Technology, Are the Heart of the Fitness Industry

At its core, the fitness industry is, and always will be, a people-driven business. Staff join, develop, and stick around to build relationships, with members and with their colleagues. The personal connections are stronger than most other industries, because of the people.