As fitness consumers become more intentional and more data-driven, loyalty is shifting outside the club walls. Echelon is giving operators the tools to stay present — wherever their members train.
As the new year approaches, fitness goals return — but they don’t look the way they used to. Today’s members are far more intentional. They’re tracking recovery scores, measuring VO2 max, analyzing strain and selecting workouts based on whether they extend their healthspan — not just raise their heart rate.
People are smarter and more data-driven than ever. They don’t want endless choice; they want the right choice.
Yet therein lies the rub. We live in an era of infinite content — and most of it lives outside the gym. Members are going to search their smart phones for yoga. YouTube for mobility. Third-party apps for strength training the list goes on.
In fact, the latest ACSM report shows more than 345 million people worldwide are using fitness apps — and most of that engagement happens beyond their home gym’s ecosystem. Every time that happens, loyalty is quietly split across platforms that have nothing to do with the gym they actually pay for.
That’s the blind spot. It’s also an enormous opportunity.
And that’s exactly where Echelon has focused — creating platforms that extend a club’s programming beyond its four walls and into a member’s everyday routine.
Echelon’s approach begins with a simple belief: people don’t just need more content — they need direction. They need technology that adapts when life changes, when progress is made or time is short. Technology designed to personally move them forward in their health and fitness journey.
“The more something feels created for you, the longer you’ll stay with it,” says Heidi Jones, SVP of Strategic Partnerships. “That’s what creates stickiness. That’s what turns content into connection.”
It’s why Echelon didn’t just build equipment — they built an ecosystem. Coach, Elevate, and most recently, Echelon AI are the engines that drive that strategy: meet members where they are, guide them forward and keep the brand present in their daily routine through multiple touchpoints.
Turning Guidance into Daily Connection
The purpose of Echelon Coach is to give members the structure and accountability of a personal trainer — without the limits of location. “It’s not virtual training,” Jones says. “It’s personal coaching, made portable.”
Members still book sessions, but the trainer comes to them — wherever they are, with whatever equipment they have. The structure and accountability of personal training remain intact; location becomes irrelevant.
But presence doesn’t stop at coaching — it has to live in the everyday rhythm of the member’s routine.
That ongoing connection is what Elevate enables. More than a content hub, it’s a fully white-labeled digital environment where clubs can stream classes, sell private collections, host Q&A sessions, run instructor training, build hybrid corporate wellness programs — and do it all while retaining full ownership of their data.
“Instead of consuming fitness somewhere else, members interact with their own gym’s identity — coaches they know, classes they trust, programming that reflects their goals. The result? That relationship isn’t tied to a physical visit anymore — the brand is in their pocket, on their schedule, wherever they are.
Jones says the best brands have figured out that content isn’t a side hustle — it’s the business.
“It’s how you stay relevant between workouts and how people decide if you’re worth their time,” she says. “Everybody’s selling access or equipment; what separates brands now is how consistently they show up with content that actually brings value.”
And when you treat content like part of your service, not just your marketing, it becomes the engine that drives loyalty.
Which leads to the next evolution of the strategy: Echelon AI. Built in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). It adapts programming based on a member’s history, goals and real-time progress — across bikes, rowers, treadmills and strength equipment.
It learns how people train, it builds on what works, it evolves with them — just like a coach would. And not as automation – but as intelligent guidance.
In essence, Echelon’s ecosystem doesn’t just collect data — it activates it. Coach makes guidance portable. Elevate gives clubs a digital identity of their own. And Echelon AI ensures that every piece of equipment — from a bike to a rower — can evolve with each user.
The Revenue Power of a Connected Ecosystem
This connected, hybrid approach doesn’t just strengthen the member journey — it also gives operators a clearer path to revenue diversification, smarter data and protection against seasonality.
With Echelon’s platforms, gyms can monetize virtual classes, host Q&A sessions, sell private collections and do corporate partnerships. And it all links back to the core membership.
“The result is recurring, multi-channel revenue built on continuous engagement rather than foot traffic alone,” explains Jones
When digital engagement complements the in-club experience, members train more often and stay longer — that’s retention. Trainers expand their reach and visibility — which results in growth. And operators gain real-time insight into behavior — that’s intelligence.
In the end, Jones says the question that gyms should be asking is: How are we staying present in our members’ daily fitness lives — not just their gym check-ins?
“Gyms should want to be part of that digital behavior — not compete with it. When you build your own content channel and engagement platform, you meet members where they already are. You keep your brand in their routine, not just on their key fob.”
