According to a Pew Research Center report, 64 percent of American adults own a smartphone. Web-enabled phones have now eclipsed computers as the primary means of accessing the Internet. What does this mean for fitness clubs?

Forward thinking fitness club owners are paying attention to the way their members use smartphones and leveraging that insight to improve member retention. How?

The Rise of the Club Fitness App

A 2014 report by Flurry Analytics reveals that the market for health and fitness apps is growing 87 percent faster than the app market in general, making fitness apps a hot item in the business of fitness. Is that trend still holding in 2016?

According to Blast's "Fitness Trends of 2016", smartphone exercise apps come in at number 17 on the list of top trends this year. 

Fitness club owners are capitalizing on member obsession with mobile devices by providing mobile apps customized to their fitness clubs. The best of these apps give members the ability to:

• Check into the fitness club easily
• Track workouts in the gym
• Learn about promotions within the club
• Record, store, and track workouts outside the gym
• Track progress over time
• View results in real time

The question is, would your members really use a fitness club app if you provided one? Appheros' "How Mobile Technology is Creating New Opportunities for the Health Club Industry" reports on a Fitness and Technology Survey which reveals the following eye-opening statistics:

• 72 percent of exercisers surveyed use technology to support their workouts.
• 32 percent of gym-goers have access to gym equipment that speaks to their devices.
• 76 percent of respondents under the age of 30 say that better technological access to personal content will make them work out more.
• 33 percent of gym members would be willing to switch gyms for better technology if price and location were similar.

Club Apps for Competitive Advantage

As a fitness club owner, you know that one of the most difficult things to do is to keep members engaged over a period of time. Distractions abound, and members are bombarded from all sides with things to discourage maintaining a gym membership.

Club apps can help you fight the distractions your members face by keeping your gym front and center in their minds. With a handy mobile app constantly in front of members when they look at their mobile devices, your brand is literally in the pocket of your members all day, every day.

Offering a mobile app that keeps members thinking about your gym both in the gym and at home is a real brand boost that should not be ignored. Additionally, a club fitness app provides real value to your members, as it encourages a healthy, active lifestyle.

When your club app integrates exercise done in your gym with exercise done outside the gym, your members are prompted to keep up healthy habits all day long. Your club app thus acts as a gentle reminder of all the benefits your members can derive from an active membership in your club. What could be better for member retention than that?

The AccuroFit Advantage

The new AccuroFit mobile health app integrates seamlessly with all Accuro devices. With functionality that enables heart rate tracking, blood pressure monitoring, weight loss progression, and a handy pedometer, the AccuroFit mobile app gives your members the tools they need to maintain a healthy lifestyle with their gym membership.

The app works both at home and in your fitness club, keeping members engaged with your gym no matter where they are during the day. Request a demo of the AccuroFit system, and see for yourself the beauty of our engaging, wellness-promoting, member-retaining system today.