US health club operator Fitness One – which operates full-service health clubs across several US States – was one of the first operators in the world to launch Wexer Web Player, the white label ‘any time, anywhere’ virtual group exercise platform.

Branded as Fitness One On Demand and offered for free to all members, the new service was launched in November 2019 – well before COVID-19 lockdown. Indeed, it is part of Fitness One’s long-term strategy to reach beyond its physical facilities, meeting customers’ growing demand for engaging, varied, motivating out-of-club support, but doing so in a way that it is able to maintain ownership of the relationships, the customer data, the full member experience.

“At Fitness One, we had already begun a 12-month initiative to expand beyond the four walls of the athletic club,” said Jake Curreri, Chief Technology Officer at Fitness One. “This then shifted from ‘priority’ to ‘urgency’ in an incredibly short space of time – something that collectively the world could not have anticipated.”

Fortunately, with the Web Player already in place, Fitness One was in the perfect position to respond immediately to COVID lockdown, switching almost overnight to an online-only offering that allowed it to support its members remotely.

And members welcomed the initiative, with the number of unique On Demand users skyrocketing: an impressive 2,251% growth from February to March 2020. Usage also rose, with the number of sessions per user going up 21% and average session length up 78.5%.

“Our complimentary On Demand membership has pivoted us from surviving to growing in an unprecedented capacity,” confirmed Curreri.

“Partnering with Wexer has allowed us to enable digital content at scale. We will look to maintain these efforts, integrating the in- and out-club experiences, as our doors re-open.”

For more information please contact us at info@wexer.com

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A firm believer in embracing activity of all forms – its mission since day one being to persuade the nation to be active – the charity had already expanded beyond traditional venues into the likes of obstacle course racing, with the launch of Active Warrior, as well as linking with a number of national organisations to provide activities in parks and open spaces.

It was therefore well placed – in terms of mindset, company ethos and non-facility centric expertise – to embrace the challenges presented by lockdown.

Viewing the crisis as a catalyst for fresh thinking, it began to look for ways to deliver the Active Nation experience to its supporters – the charity’s preferred term for its members – so they could stay active while stuck at home.

And it quickly found its perfect solution: Wexer’s ‘any time, anywhere, any internet-enabled device’ Web Player.

As a white label digital fitness platform, Wexer was able to design and brand the player to look and feel like an Active Nation product. Active Nation On Demand was born!

A branded connection

“For Active Nation, maintaining a close relationship with our supporters throughout lockdown – ensuring they felt connected to, and supported by, our brand and our community – was essential,” explains Mathew Smallwood, group communications manager for Active Nation.

“We didn’t just want to signpost our supporters to third-party offerings across social platforms. We wanted to be able to control the quality of the content, ensuring we were offering the best digital experience we could.”

He continues: “One of the things that drew us to the Web Player was the flexibility to offer both third-party on-demand and self-created live streamed content on the same platform.

“Wexer’s extensive music licence-free, on-demand library – featuring top content creators from across the globe – ensures strength in depth at all times. Meanwhile, the Connect section of the Web Player allows us to create a live streaming calendar featuring our own instructors. There’s been something for everyone, from office-based exercise to classes for all the family.

“This has been a great asset, not only during lockdown but also – with social distancing now limiting in-person class occupancy – in the early stages of resuming operations.

“Alongside the on-demand classes, live streaming has allowed us to create a hybrid model of in-venue and digital provision where there’s unlimited capacity for every online session. We’ve seen some classes attended by more than 100 supporters at a time.”

A long-term strategy

Access to the platform and all its content was offered for free to all supporters while gyms were closed, but password protection opened up options for monetisation beyond this period. Active Nation now charges £4.99 a month for its On Demand service, driving an additional revenue stream for the charity.

Smallwood continues: “We see this initiative not as a knee-jerk response to COVID, but as an important extension of the work we were already doing in supporting everyday activity.

“With that in mind, we wanted a long-term, sustainable solution that gave us full ownership of the experience and the data; that complemented the existing offerings in our app and on our website; and that gave our supporters a convenient yet world-class at-home exercise experience.

“The Wexer Web Player ticked all those boxes.”

Seizing the opportunities

And the results speak for themselves. Launched in October 2021, the new platform quickly gained momentum among Active Nation supporters, with over 6,000 users signed up in the first few months alone – users who between them engaged with the platform more than 21,000 times in just six months.

“We’ve been hugely impressed by the way Active Nation has embraced the Web Player and the many opportunities it presents to engage and support people away from its venues,” says Karen Mason, senior customer experience manager at Wexer. “They’ve hit the ground running and shown what’s possible when you take full advantage of everything the platform can do.

“The marketing has been superb, too: from social media to supporter emails and everything in between, Active Nation hasn’t stopped shouting about what’s on offer and why its supporters should dive in.”

“It hasn’t just been something to benefit our supporters, either,” notes Smallwood. “It’s also been a tool to keep our colleagues active, with our full team enjoying access to the platform as part of their wellbeing package. We firmly believe in promoting physical activity to support our colleagues’ health and happiness.”

He concludes: “We see Active Nation On Demand, supported by Wexer, as an integral part of our hybrid strategy moving forward, and enthusiasm for it has spread across our entire team.”

For more information on any of the topics covered please contact us at info@wexer.com

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ABOUT FUNK FITNESS 24/7

Funk Fitness was founded in 2014 on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. The club has an electric and colourful atmosphere and has set to become the best 24/7 health and fitness gym on the Gold Coast.

THE CHALLENGE

• High cost of running the group fitness studio
• High cost of instructors
• Underutilized space
• Inconsistent group fitness attendance

Funk Fitness found out that as a new club, it needed to be viable from day one. Group Fitness was a costly part of their business with high outgoing due to cost of instructors, rent, scheduling and managing.

“Wexer Virtual allowed us to maximise an underutilised Group Fitness Room.”

Funk Fitness decided to introduce virtual training wit the Wexer Virtual On Demand Player featuring both group X & cycling classes.

RESULTS

• More classes at peak times
• Convenience
• Reduced cost per class
• More flexibility

After introducing virtual training, Funk Fitness reduced their cost per class. The club also became more flexible and convenient for their members.

“Now we can easily cancel a live class and put in a virtual class as the last minute, due to instructor illness or unavailability. We are also able to upload or change the timetable on our website and our members are able to see what a particular virtual class is all about prior to participating in the class.”

What is your favourite thing about Wexer Virtual? “The high quality of the video classes and the reduction of cost running group X.”

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ABOUT EDGE FITNESS

Edge Fitness was founded in 2008 in Moorhead, Minnesota in the USA. The club is dedicated to helping their members reach all their goals and making sure they have fun doing it!

THE CHALLENGE

• High cost of live classes
• High percentage of downtime
• Lack of classes during the whole day

Edge Fitness remodelled their group fitness studio. However, they could not offer enough classes for their members, which started to go to other big clubs that had the ability to offer classes all day.

“As a smaller club it was impossible to compete with large health clubs and their group fitness programs. Now with the virtual system in place we can offer classes 24/7 with the push of a button.”

Edge Fitness decided to go for Les Mills classes, provided on a Wexer Virtual On Demand Player.

RESULTS

• More variety of classes for the club members
• Better retention rate
• Growth in membership

After introducing virtual training, the club is both keeping and attracting more members who want to do group fitness on their own schedule, instead of trying to plan their day around the club schedule.

“We can now compete with the number of classes large health clubs offer in our area!”

What is your favourite thing about Wexer Virtual? “The quick response to questions or issues we might have is awesome!”

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ABOUT BODYWORKS

Bodyworks was founded in 2004 in Beckley, West Virginia in the USA. The club is dedicated to restoring quality to life. This guiding vision includes integrating prevention and wellness strategies to improve quality of life.

THE CHALLENGE

• Lack of qualified instructors
• Lack of classes during the whole day

The biggest challenge for Bodyworks was offering live classes only in the evenings while members requested classes at various times of the day.

“We needed classes to be available every day, but could not find qualified instructors to teach. With Wexer Virtual, members can take classes on their schedule, anytime – day or night.”

Bodyworks decided to introduce virtual training to their members with 2 On Demand Players with group X classes.

RESULTS

• Variety of classes offered
• Happier club members

After introducing the Wexer Virtual platform, the club now offers a variety of classes that is great for members at all levels of fitness.

“I love the simplicity of using the website to upload videos and put in live classes. Any questions we have are quickly answered and customer service is great.”

What is your favourite thing about Wexer Virtual? – “Customer service is wonderful. They are quick to answer any question we have.”

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ABOUT BLUE GYM

Blue Gym was founded in 2010 in New Delhi, India. The club is dedicated to providing better health through better facilities. The health club currently operates 3 gyms with a total of 2,500 members. Empowered with fitness connoisseurs, the health club strives to deliver the best services when it comes to fitness.

THE CHALLENGE

• Lack of good group X instructors
• No growth in membership
• High percentage of downtime
• High instructor cost

The biggest challenge for Blue Gym was to get the right instructors to conduct good group exercise classes, as the travel time for the instructors is long and the cost is too high.

“Thats why virtual classes are a convenient option. At Blue Gym we see a bright future with VIRTUAL group X classes which are more vibrant and energetic.”

Blue Gym decided to introduce virtual training to their members with the Wexer Virtual Basic Player with group X & cycling classes.

RESULTS

• More classes
• Better membership retention
• More sales and renewals
• Less cost

“Our members are excited – Blue Gym is the first club in Vaishali superb to conduct virtual group X classes.”

Since introducing virtual training, Blue Gym has a better retention rate as well as a substantial increase in new sales. Blue Gym is also the first fitness centre in India to start Les Mills Virtual RPM.

What is your favourite thing about Wexer Virtual? – ‘The friendly approach and willingness to help’

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