How Push Notifications Can Increase Retention at Your Fitness Business

According to a recent study by Asurion, Americans check their phones over 80 times a day—that equates to folks perusing their smartphone once every 12 minutes. With so many people glued to their phones, what if I told you that you could increase membership and class sales at your fitness studio with one simple message to their device? Well, with more fitness studio owners utilizing mobile marketing tactics through their fitness software and embracing the power of branded apps, you can easily increase retention with a powerful tool like push notifications. 

But what are push notifications? I’m glad you asked! Let’s dive in.

The low-down on push notifications

Even if you don’t think you know what a push notification is, I can almost guarantee you do. In fact, if you have a smartphone, you probably receive a few of these notifications on a daily basis. 

A push notification is an informative message sent from an app that pops up on the home screen of a mobile device. For instance, if you have Instagram installed on your phone and notifications enabled, you receive one of these messages whenever someone likes or comments on one of your photos. 

The best part? Users don’t even have to be in the app or using their devices to receive push notifications. They do, however, have to have installed the app on their device. This is important to note if you have a branded business app.

Push notifications as a marketing tool

Now that your clients are spending more time on their mobile devices than ever before, sending these messages to notify them about your business’s offerings, new classes, or specials can help intrigue them to revisit your studio. It’s also another way to make a meaningful connection with them. 

You can utilize push notifications in different ways—to send a reminder to your client about one of their upcoming classes or reward them with a special deal to help coax them to try a new class at your studio. If a client clicks on the notification, they’ll automatically be logged into your app to access more information about the message you sent. The options—and opportunities—are endless when it comes to the power of push notifications.

How to ensure your clients receive your push notifications

While sending emails is still an impactful way to reach your customers, the fact of the matter is: sending push notifications to your client's phone is a surefire way to reach them throughout the day. 

To avoid overloading your clients’ phones, it’s important to send push notifications strategically. There are certain days and times, for example, that have been found to have the highest open rates. One study by Accengage found that users are more likely to open push notifications on Tuesdays and/or around 11 PM. Although this may differ for your audience, it’s a good idea to test various send days and times, and adjust to what works best for your clientele. And hey—if you have trouble filling a Wednesday morning class, that Tuesday 11 PMer just might sign up for it! 

If you think the fun with push notifications stops there, think again. We have an entire guide that’s full of our favorite tips and tricks to ensure your retention rates soar at your fitness studio.