Lots of people have asked us if we’re worried everyone is just going to go straight back to their gyms once the pandemic is over, and this will shut off the Mobile PT growth we’ve seen recently.
No-one knows for sure what the road back to normal will look like after the pandemic, but we do know that the fitness industry will not be able to go back to the way it was before, for a long time, if ever! Social distancing regulations will be in effect for the long term with these recurring mini outbreaks and lockdowns popping up, and the public’s expectations of what kind of physical interactions are acceptable has definitely changed.
People are already much more conscious of hygiene and infection control, this has meant that sharing sweaty equipment is certainly be frowned upon. Gyms and functional fitness businesses are having to adapt accordingly.
Will everyone go back to Gyms?
In terms of the question “Will everyone just go back to their gyms once this is all over?” The short answer is – most will go back yes, but not all.
Who knows how many will be open and fully functioning in 6 weeks, 6 months and even 6 years. These are unprecedented times, the one thing that most experts are sure of is that less people will go to Gyms due to finding other options. In America, there are reports that as much as 30% of Gyms will go out of business due to coronavirus. As for how many people will choose a Mobile Personal Trainer at their home over a gym, we predict a lot more based on the already increasing trends for consumers to choose the convenience of home-delivered goods and services over going out.
In Australia, around 4,000,000 people have a gym membership or similar. Even though only 2% to 5% of gym members statistically have a PT, that still gives us between 80,000 and 200,000 clients working with Trainers in gyms. Even if 80% of people return to their gyms, that still leaves us with 16,000 – 40,000 people who may be searching for better, safer, more convenient options once things get back to normal. Only time will tell, but we remain optimistic that mobile Personal Training will continue to be a great growth area into the future, and there is a great potential client base with or without gyms in operation!
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