GYMetrix - Blog - Operators Beware Refurbs 7 Deadly Assumptions!

Operators Beware Refurbs 7 Deadly Assumptions!

GYMetrix has now proved, with hard data, 7 Assumptions many operators use when refurbishing gyms are False! - 'Not Fit For Purpose'.

1) Equipment Suppliers know what equipment, and in what quantities customers want.
They don't - customers do!
When Tesco restocks its shelves it uses information on what customers are buying, restocking more of the popular products so there aren't shortages, and less of the unpopular products so there isn't waste. Tesco doesn't ask their suppliers what they should stock and in what quantities - Why do operators in the fitness industry?
Matrix and Life Fitness are now partnering with GYMetrix to ensure their clients accurately match their equipment capacity with their customers demand.

2) There is a 'one size fits all' Ideal equipment ratio model.
There isn't!
Each gym has a unique demand pattern. It is produced by the interaction of all of the different influences on Customers, Instructors, Available Equipment, and the layout of the gym floor - the gyms Ecosystem. These influences are different in each gym, producing a unique equipment demand pattern for each gym.
 
3) The demographics of the population surrounding a gym accurately determine the equipment requirement.
They Don't!
GYMetrix has now completed many studies for operators with gyms close to each other and the surrounding demographics being virtually identical. We have found no link between demographics surrounding a gym and its equipment requirements.
 
4) Refurbishing gyms according to the Male:Female membership base.
Gym floors have more males than females in peak.
Many women join a gym mainly to use classes; this means that for most gyms, in peak, the gym floor is majority male, unlike the membership base. It has resulted in many men being frustrated by shortages of the equipment they want to use (see our previous newsletter) with, across the industry, lower customer satisfaction scores than women.
 
5) Experienced operators or Instructors 'Gut Feel' for equipment requirements is accurate.
It isn't - customer equipment usage data is!
Sure operators and instructors can observe certain areas are busy and others quiet but their ability to quantify the equipment requirements for these areas, without hard data, has proved to be inaccurate and costly. The lack of objective equipment MEASUREMENT and REVIEW has led to a false confidence in this regard.
 
6) Experienced operators and Instructors know what equipment is best for customers.
This may be true, but there is a big difference between what customers 'should' want and what they 'actually' want. Accurate MEASUREMENT and REVIEW is necessary to identify where instructor intervention is necessary to align the two.
 
7) Because functional training is the next big trend if operators create space and buy the equipment it will get used.
No it won't!
A lot of systematic education is required to create customer demand for functional kit.
 

Are you using any of these 7 Assumptions?


If you are using any of these false assumptions when refurbishing gyms it is more than likely you will be wasting money on equipment that hardly gets used, whilst at the same time have shortages of popular equipment and unhappy customers!

GYMetrix has just celebrated its 2nd year trading, having measured equipment usage in over 100 Gyms across leading Private Sector Operators such as Virgin Active, David Lloyd and Nuffield Health, leading Councils and Trusts across Scotland, England and Wales and the UK's top Sporting Universities. This has enabled us to prove these 7 assumptions are false!

GYMetrix enables operators to PLAN - IMPLEMENT - MEASURE - REVIEW.
The lack of objective MEASUREMENT of customer demand has meant many operators cannot do an accurate REVIEW, and these false assumptions have been allowed to continue.
 

Interested in finding out what your customers want?

 
The primary purpose when buying gym equipment, is to cater for customers demand for that gym equipment.
 
Technology now enables the best practise of finding out from customers first, what equipment they want, and in what quantities, by accurately analysing their equipment demand.
 
GYMetrix does this through precisely measuring, with sensors, their equipment usage enabling accurate quantification of equipment requirements. 
 
If you would like to test your assumptions with a functioning management control cycle - PLAN - IMPLEMENT - MEASURE - REVIEW  and give your customers the equipment they want in the quantities they need please get in touch.
 
See what GYMetrix clients have to say here!
 
Now working with GYMetrix:
 
Matrix        Life Fitness    LFX    Fitpro