Industry talk swiss active – CI Fitness Switzerland
On Thursday afternoon, the swiss active – CI Fitness Schweiz industry talk took place on the study “The Swiss Fitness Economy in the First Half of 2021”. Prof. Dr. Sarah Kobel presented the results of the study to everyone present. Afterwards, the question and discussion session began.
Among other things, the training presence of the different age groups after the Restart was discussed: It is pleasing that people up to 30 years of age or younger come to the fitness disproportionately much and with pleasure. On the other hand, the study shows that especially people over 60 years of age (still) refrain from going to the gym. In the interpretation and discussion of these results, it was pointed out that the younger members suffered particularly strongly from the restricted contacts during the pandemic and now particularly welcome the social interaction in the fitness studios. On the other hand, the older persons are still cautious, as the vaccination rate was not yet very high at the time of the survey.
The study also provided further insights into the effects of digitalisation due to the lockdown. During the lockdown, many fitness subscribers continued to exercise at home. They often did this with the help of training videos provided by general platforms or their fitness operators. However, many members became aware that this training or alternative forms of exercise (walking, cycling, etc.) was much less intense than what they were used to through training in the gym. As a result, many people returned to the gym with less muscle and more fat. In the future, however, gym operators will increasingly offer digital forms of training as additional services. In particular, the streaming of own courses was mentioned most frequently in the survey.
Another conclusion from the industry talk is that customers need to be reassured as soon as possible that they can train safely in fitness studios. The established protection concepts help with this. However, target group-specific communication is needed to communicate this safety. Despite strong membership losses, the majority of providers are looking positively into the future and expect a continuous increase in members until the end of this year. However, the total number of members will not yet be at the same level as at the end of 2019.
The perception remains that there has been an inevitable increase in engagement with one’s own health and a recognition of the importance of maintaining health through preventative muscle training. As a result, there is hope for sustainable behaviour change, which can be a driver for recovery and growth in the fitness industry.
You can read the results of the study here. If you are interested, we would also be happy to send you the presentation of the results.
The next Branchentalk will take place around mid-September. Once again, many important and exciting topics will be addressed and discussed: Together we are strong. Become a part of it and be part of the next industry talk as a swiss active – CIFitness member, exchange ideas and experience everything up close.
