Will Fitness Studios Still Need Video Post-Pandemic?

As more states across the US announce plans to re-open businesses, many fitness studios may be wondering if there is still a need to maintain their video streaming service. In short, the answer is yes.

We have seen a huge influx in the demand for fitness streaming services since stay-at-home orders were enforced back in March. Thousands of gyms found themselves needing to transition to video to keep their customers engaged and generating revenue, and while many of them are now in the process of reopening their doors, we recommend maintaining video streaming services to cater to the different needs of their customers.

Companies like Facebook and Google have already announced plans to allow the majority of their workforce to stay remote through at least the end of the year. People will continue to spend most of their time in their homes, so it is unlikely that streaming habits will be changing any time soon.

Schools will also have a longer journey back to normalcy, so parents will continue to have to stay home with their children. They may not have the flexibility in their schedule to attend in-person classes even after their studio reopens.

Those that are able to return to their old gyms will most likely be very skeptical about being in close quarters. A study from RunRepeat.com, featured on Athletech, found that 50% of Americans do not feel comfortable returning to their gym if it were to reopen. 

As we approach three months of being at home, people have adjusted to this new normal. They have chosen their favorite online workout to do before work or on their lunch break and have settled into their remote routine. Many may prefer working out in the comfort of their homes to traveling elsewhere for an in-person session. In fact, at-home fitness has been trending long before COVID-19, with companies like  Tracy Anderson and Crunch Fitness pioneering virtual fitness solutions that are aligned with their brick-and-mortar locations.

The advantages of a fitness streaming service stretch beyond convenience for customers in quarantine, especially when you incorporate digital video infrastructure.  A powerful video CMS and CRM can extend your reach and amplify your fitness business. When clients are given access to a full content library and the ability to choose what they want to watch versus a set class schedule, it allows fitness companies to collect important data that can be used to inform decisions. Zype offers fitness companies an Analytics dashboard for evaluating consumer engagement and behavior, so they can tailor their content, both in and out of the studio, to match what’s most popular with their customers.

Relying exclusively on physical studios may limit your addressable market to members that are living within traveling distance. A robust video infrastructure allows you to distribute to fitness enthusiasts everywhere. Zype’s Embeddables enables easy online publishing of workout classes that members all over the world can engage with and enjoy, and our templated apps simplify OTT distribution. 

Fitness streaming has grown exponentially due to COVID-19 and is expected to continue for years to come, and businesses that don’t elevate their video strategy, may miss out on the massive opportunity to better connect with their viewers. Taking advantage of video infrastructure designed for fitness businesses is an important step toward reducing risk and enabling durable long-term member engagement for both the digital and brick and mortar fitness business.