Gym Attendance Dropping? Incentivize Visits Using Digital Rewards

Summer is often a slow period for gyms. The New Year's Resolution attendance has begun to wane by the summer, and many gym-goers trade in their gym memberships for outdoor fitness hobbies like biking, running, and swimming. 

To keep attendance high during the summer months, your gym must implement strategic programs that encourage attendance, retention, and new business.

Using digital rewards to incentivize gym-goers can ensure a worthwhile return on investment and provide a hands-off approach to incentives that allow you to focus on running your gym well.  

Digital rewards programs for gym attendance

Your gym can approach incentive programs in a few different ways. The important thing is creating a program that offers rewards your gym-goers 1) actually want, and 2) can actually attain.

Below are a few ideas for how you can structure your summer rewards program. 

1. Points-to-rewards programs

Points-to-rewards programs are common in the fitness industry. These programs allow gym-goers to earn points every time they sign in at the gym or complete other fitness-related tasks, such as logging their activity in your gym's app or meeting dieting goals. Once they reach a specific number of points, they can trade them in for digital rewards.

Your gym can integrate digital rewards within your existing app or virtual platform, allowing gym-goers to redeem their points for gift cards and other rewards virtually. You can even offer double the points throughout the summer to encourage attendance further. 

2. Referral programs

Many gym-goers feel more motivated to work out with friends than alone. One study found that 95% of people who started a weight loss program with their friends completed the program, while only 76% of solo participants completed it. Even more surprising, almost half of adults go to the gym just as an excuse to socialize.

When you implement referral programs, you capitalize on this concept and grow your customer base. For instance, you can launch a program that allows current gym members to bring a friend one time for free. If the friend signs up for a membership, the current member gets a digital reward, such as an e-gift card. 

Even if the friend doesn't sign up for a membership right away, they'll develop a sense of loyalty to your gym that could lead them to become a member in the future. 

3. Special promotions

Offering special promotions with digital rewards is easy and can transform your summer attendance. For instance, you can run a new promotion each week that invites gym-goers to complete certain goals to win e-gift cards.

These goals may be:

•  Attend the gym three times in one week.
•  Bring three new friends to the gym. 
•  Stay at the gym for at least an hour. 

You can structure your special promotions in numerous ways to keep them fun and exciting. For instance, create a sticker chart where gym-goers can log their attendance and compete with friends. Or try a BINGO card that invites gym members to try new machines or complete special tasks. 

Offer enticing digital rewards with Giftbit

Even if you structure your summer attendance programs well, you must offer the right rewards to make them successful. With Giftbit, you can send gym-goers instant gift card links for fitness-related brands, vitamins, protein supplements, and other health products. These incentives will reward their gym attendance and promote a healthy lifestyle, keeping them coming back to your gym for more. 

Giftbit makes digital rewards easy with API and Zapier automatic integrations, gift card short links, and a catalog filled with hundreds of gift card options for your gym members to choose from. 

Register for Giftbit today to begin increasing your number of members in the summer months.