During the last two years, the global pandemic has put a firecracker under the fitness industry’s digital journey. Through periods of lockdown, the value of being able to maintain a connection to members remotely has been unequivocally proven, supported by the consumers’ willingness and ability to engage. So, it is fair to conclude that, as an industry, we need to continue to invest in digitalizing our services, maintaining relevance in a world that is increasingly driven by digitalization.
found that as a result of the first pandemic-induced lockdown, the world jumped ahead five years in consumer and business digital adoption in a period of around eight weeks.
Digitalization is all around us. It drives the way we shop, the way we obtain information, the way we enjoy entertainment, the way we order takeout and taxis. Digitalization is influencing the way we engage with products and services in all aspects of life. As an industry, we need to be a part of this new digital age or we risk being left behind and disappearing into insignificance.
The term digital transformation means the integration of digital technology across all aspects of a business, fundamentally changing operations and the consumer experience.
Individual scores were combined to result in an average score of 55 percent, placing the industry in the United Kingdom at “digital experimenter” level, roughly halfway along the digital pathway. Although data is not directly comparable, this places the fitness industry behind sectors such as retail, financial services, automotive and fast-moving consumer goods, suggesting there is still much to be done.
Even though the evidence documented in this report is focused on the UK market, operators around the globe face the same challenge – how does a sector driven by brick-and-mortar facilities maintain relevance in a world that is digitally driven?
