How to increase member retention at your fitness club

The answer is often sought in new equipment, a modern layout, and the latest gadgets. That makes sense, since that’s where the investment goes and the result is immediately visible to members.

But if you look closely at the data and what’s really going on in members’ minds, you often see a different story.

What determines whether members stay or leave?

To answer this question, we pulled our data. Friendliness and atmosphere are the most important factors for members. As much as 22.7% of respondents name friendliness as the top pillar, followed by atmosphere with a score of 22.6%. The range of classes follows at a distance with 8%. And equipment? It didn’t even make the top 3. (Feedback4Sports benchmark 2025, based on more than 66,000 responses, a year’s worth of collected feedback data)

Increasing member retention doesn’t start with the equipment you have. What matters more and more is how members feel, both when they walk in and once they’ve been a member for a while.

Why isn’t investing in equipment the key driver of member retention?

Many clubs think from their own offering. The expectation is: the better our equipment, the happier our members. And that sounds logical; you buy it, show it off, and advertise with what you have in-house.

The only ones who really know what it’s like at your club are your members. And they reason from their own experience. Does your member feel welcome? Do you know your members’ names? What’s the atmosphere like, and do your members feel at ease? These are the things that often determine whether they come back or not.

You can see the gap between how clubs see things and how members see things. And knowing that gap is exactly where clubs can gain an edge and stand out from other clubs.

Why do members cancel their gym membership?

Working out is often not a goal in itself. What matters most is that it becomes a habit they stick with. And you stick with a habit in places where you feel good. That often comes down to the small things. A friendly greeting at the front desk, an instructor who knows your name, and other members who chat with you.

Of course, equipment also attracts new members during a first tour, but it doesn’t determine whether they stay. Feeling plays a role there.

How do you increase member retention in practice?

The figures we’ve shared are a starting point. Want to know what your members actually find important, so you don’t have to guess? Feedback4Sports helps you gather feedback from your members on a structural basis.

That way, you have up-to-date insight into the opportunities for your club.

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