Shops footfall stagnated.

[your-whey]

We have two shops inside of gyms that have 3000+ members selling supplements, wholefoods and making up shakes and smoothies for customers after they've finished working out.

Honestly business is not doing as well as it could recently, the first (main) shop has been open for nearly two years and had greatly profitable periods where we was in such a comfortable position we was able to open a second shop in another gym and try to replicate what we do in the first shop.

Things seem to have stagnated in the main shop despite my efforts to promote the business on the gym floor and entice people to come and look around and the second shop has never truly taken off and able to be self sufficient.

Promotions such as free drinks to new faces are talked about but not taken advantage of and footfall in both shops is low. It seems like I'm doing more than I have ever done recently and seeing the opposite of what's expected.

Products we sell are highly regarded, the drinks we make have always gotten positive comments but people aren't coming in anymore.

Am I missing something major?

 

[Paul Norman]

Do you know how that relates to the actual attendance figures at the gyms? If that is falling, so will your footfall. I would want to eliminate that as a possibility first - although you may not be able to get accurate information.

The membership is not the number you are after. It is visits.

 

[ethical PR]

Have you reviewed your marketing strategy to see what's working and what isn't?

What are you doing to reach out to new and existing customers?

Obvious marketing and PR would include yo third party marketing through the gym directly to its members - ie special offers in the gym's newsletters and promos and social media, free tasting of your products, working with personal trainers and regular users on a commission basis to push your products etc.

Capturing emails and mobile numbers and promoting exclusive offers, competitions and content to existing users.

 

[The Byre]

Am I missing something major?

Yes - the economy is in a very poor state, as a direct result of chronic governmental mismanagement (and not just in the UK) so unnecessary and luxury items are the first to feel the bitter winds of Winter.

Your punter may just still decide to go to the gym, but that £2 smoothie gets dropped.

It is the same as cinema tickets and popcorn and coke. Some people want to spend £6 on a ticket, some what to spend £10 and some want to spend £15. For £6, you go mid-week. For £10, you go on a Saturday and if you want to spend £15, you buy a beer or a coke and some popcorn.

When times are hard, the beer, coke and popcorn are the first to go.

 

[your-whey]

Have you reviewed your marketing strategy to see what's working and what isn't?

What are you doing to reach out to new and existing customers?

Obvious marketing and PR would include yo third party marketing through the gym directly to its members - ie special offers in the gym's newsletters and promos and social media, free tasting of your products, working with personal trainers and regular users on a commission basis to push your products etc.

Capturing emails and mobile numbers and promoting exclusive offers, competitions and content to existing users.

The gym is very adamant on keeping us separate from their own brand despite us paying them rent for the room we use so marketing through them is not an option.

Fantastic idea about commission, I have a great relationship with the staff so that could be implemented.

Capturing emails/phone numbers has never been something that crossed my mind if I'm honest, I'm unsure of how to approach this but it does seem like a way to make the most of our existing promotions.

Thank you

 

[ethical PR]

The gym is very adamant on keeping us separate from their own brand despite us paying them rent for the room we use so marketing through them is not an option.

Fantastic idea about commission, I have a great relationship with the staff so that could be implemented.

Capturing emails/phone numbers has never been something that crossed my mind if I'm honest, I'm unsure of how to approach this but it does seem like a way to make the most of our existing promotions. Just ask people - when you're offering free samples and when customers come into your shop. Ask for their business card/ mobile/email and offer prizes/promos to incentivise.


Thank you

 

[smarsden]

Personally. we have used digital signage to attract more information and to get the benefits off said services across. We work with Fusion gyms and virgin active.

I am not trying to self promote (as its what we do where I work) but its something we have found that works.

 

[Nochexman]

Am I missing something major?

Have you tried asking the people at the gym for their opinion?

 

[patientlady]

Put some 'tell cards' on the tables for anonymous feedback. Asking are they happy with the offering and how could it be improved . Is it just drinks or is there a food offering? P/l

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

I agree with the two posts above.

Just ask them and leave an anonymous way to give feedback. It takes the guesswork out of this entirely.

Personally, I don't use gym shops like this because of the price. In fact, I never really buy supplements from B&M shops because the prices are so much higher than you can find online.

I frequently see shops selling medium sized tubs of protein for £40, £50 and even £60. They're almost always the marketing gimmick products as well, so there are a ton of additives and special ingredients to bump up the price. I'm not saying that your shop is like this, of course, but it's just a trend I notice amongst them more often than not.

Many people, especially those who are more nutrition savvy, just want the basic, no-nonsense stuff at a competitive price.

This is further compounded by the fact that having a good quality diet for a dedicated gym user is expensive on its own. Lots of chicken, beef, nuts and fish soon mount up in cost - unless someone is prepared to wolf down multiple cans of cheap tuna every day.

The same problem applies to shakes and smoothies. I've seen them in gyms go for £3+. Take one of them 4 times a week and it's over £600 every year. That's a whole month's rent or mortgage payment for many people. Because of this, it becomes more of a treat than something to buy consistently, so it's difficult to get consumers into a regular buying habit.

It does depend on what sort of market audience frequents the gym. Some are mostly fitness, whilst others are more "spit and sawdust" with lots of dedicated bodybuilders. Try to see if that audience has shifted over the last few years.