Gyms Are Falling Behind on Digital Tech, Execs Warn
At FIBO 2025, fitness executives said operators must do a better job of creating engaging digital experiences for their members, especially to reach Gen Z
COLOGNE, GERMANY — Many gyms aren’t doing enough to create engaging digital experiences for their members, and they risk getting left behind, industry executives believe.
During a lively panel held Thursday at the FIBO 2025 fitness trade show held in Cologne, Germany, fitness executives discussed why operators need to improve when it comes to embracing digital tools, especially if they want to appeal to digitally native Gen Z.
The panel consisted of Nad Myan, vice president of innovation and corporate growth at GoodLife Fitness; Ernst de Neef, CEO of Funxtion; Tarek Mounir, CEO of Enhance; and Jens Schulze, country manager at Les Mills Germany.
“I’ve been a part of this industry for 30 years and we are terrible at technology,” Myan said during the discussion, adding that as Gen Z comes of age, it’s vital that the industry shed its reputation for being slow to embrace change.
“We’ve got to move here pretty quick because that new generation is native to technology,” Myan added.
Why Going Digital Is About More Than Just Content
While brick-and-mortar fitness brands have done an admirable job of embracing digital content since the pandemic, panelists on Thursday stressed that going digital is about more than just streaming on-demand workout classes (although that is important).
Myan said that as gyms and studios adopt a “mobile-first” approach, they need to take into account the full picture.
“This mobile-first approach can’t just be about content,” he said. “It has to be about the complete ecosystem experience, so it’s everything from access to control to communication to personal training to content, biomechanics (and) body compositions. The entire end-to-end solution in one place.”
For example, gyms should consider conducting a “needs analysis” as part of their sales process to ensure they’re communicating effectively when selling memberships or other packages online.
“If you want to sell additional services to your members … you need to do this needs analysis. You need to know what your customer wants,” said de Neef, whose Funxtion platform delivers white-labeled tech to fitness operators.
De Neef also believes gyms should create a more robust digital onboarding process for members.
“I think onboarding a new member has been very underestimated by our industry, but once you do so, you understand what (members) want and what they need,” he said.
With Gen Z, It’s Digital or Die
It’s no secret that Gen Z loves digital experiences, and panelists agreed that gyms need to embrace hyper-digitalization and personalization to appeal to this increasingly important slice of the market.
Les Mills has churned out reports to understand the fitness preferences of Gen Z, and while Gen Z-ers currently love Pilates, a more meaningful insight is that they have little patience for brands that make them wait.
“They’re digital natives and in a nutshell, they want everything whenever they want it, immediately,” Les Mills’ Schulze said. “So we have to adapt.”
“Digitalization offers operators (a chance) to connect with the people outside of the gym,” he added.
Gyms should also incorporate gamification to appeal to dopamine-obsessed Gen Z-ers, noted Mounir, whose platform Enhance Fitness provides digital personal training tools for gyms.
Mounir gave the example of a gym allowing its members to earn badges inside of an app. Badges would be earned for completing workout challenges, and could then be redeemed inside the club in return for perks like discounted apparel.
“What you’re doing is actually upselling the apparel,” he explained. “You’re keeping the person active and you bring them back to the gym. It’s all just digital dopamine.”
Personal Training Beyond the Four Walls
Going digital might also be the key to unlocking more personal training revenue, especially for big-box operators.
Mounir believes many gyms are leaving serious money on the table by not digitizing their personal training businesses and leveraging tools like in-app content and AI.
“I feel like gym operators in general are not making enough money for personal training because it’s being looked at in a very traditional way,” he said. “When we look at gyms around the world, we see that their revenues generated per month is about $30,000 from personal training per month per club. We have been consistently capable of generating about ($150,000) per club per month.”
GoodLife, one of Canada’s biggest gym brands, is actively working to digitize its personal training business, according to Myan. Gyms hoping to do the same should ensure they have buy-in from their personnel training staff, he advised.
“From the operational perspective, one of the biggest barriers are (personal trainers), because they’ll frequently see the digital environment or AI as a challenge to their own existence,” he said. “If they don’t embrace it, and they’re not pushing it down the chain to our members and our consumers, then it falls flat in space. So it’s about ensuring .. they see it as a tool and not a threat.”
Want to hear more insights about the digital revolution and driving additional revenue at your gym or studio? Register here to attend ATN’s Innovation Summit 2025 this June 17-18 in New York City. The can’t-miss event will feature sessions from the biggest gym executives and marketers in fitness