ATN surveyed fitness operators and software executives on how they’re rethinking member retention strategies early in the year — and what actually works once the infamous New Year’s resolution period fades away
In the fitness and wellness industry, January is clearly a peak month. But the most dialed-in operators are treating February and March as arguably more important.
That shift is showing up in two ways across the industry. First, gyms and studios are getting far more specific about what they measure after January. Second, they’re building clearer, more repeatable follow-through systems so retention doesn’t depend on perfect staff memory or “heroic” outreach.
Why January Isn’t Everything
Hot Bones, a Detroit-based yoga and Pilates studio, offers a useful reframing right out of the gate — one that shifts the conversation away from New Year’s motivation and toward something more sustainable.
“We actually don’t approach January as a reset button or a performance month,” founder Lara Rasmussen tells Athletech News. “We focus instead on removing the intimidation of showing up, regardless of the time of year. Our priority is creating a place of belonging rather than simply offering a service.”
At Hot Bones, that philosophy becomes tangible through intentional touchpoints before, during and after a first visit. “Every interaction, whether by text, email or in person, is treated as part of a relationship,” she says. “If someone lingers on our schedule, we meet them where they are and help them understand the formats, instructors and experience before they ever step into the room.”
That “make it easy to come back” mindset is a common thread among operators, especially when the conversation turns to the practical levers that actually reduce churn.
The Metrics That Matter Most After January
The retention game in February and March shouldn’t be guesswork. It’s a short window, and forward-thinking operators are watching leading indicators that show whether a new member is settling into routine or drifting away.
At The Edge Fitness Clubs, a multi-location gym brand across nine states, chief operating officer Joe Moretti says the focus is on the signals that appear before a member ever cancels.
“We focus on leading indicators, not lagging ones,” he says. “Check-in trends in the first 30 and 60 days, fitness assessment completion, app engagement, class utilization, NPS feedback and pending cancel activity, those tell us far more than monthly attrition alone.”
Speed is the difference-maker.
“When we see engagement drop, we respond quick,” he adds. “Payment issues or cancellation intent are addressed immediately. NPS detractors get real follow-up within the same week.”
Fitness and Wellness tech platform Daxko sees the same urgency reflected in the data.
“Our data shows that churn risk peaks between weeks four and six, when early motivation drops before habits fully form,” Daron Allen, the company’s vice president of enterprise CRM and Engage PRO, says.
But the more valuable insight is what predicts risk early.
“The strongest early signals include a 7–10-day gap in check-ins, declining class participation, reduced digital engagement after the first week and missed onboarding communications, all of which often appear weeks before cancellation,” Allen notes.
That 7–10-day gap shows up as a recurring line in the sand: once a new member goes more than a week without visiting, the likelihood of churn climbs quickly. And for many operators, that gap is now treated as an action trigger.
Central Rock Gym, a national climbing gym brand that combines indoor rock climbing with fitness, yoga and community-focused programming, compares conversion patterns year-over-year.
“I look at conversion from day pass to membership compared to the same day prior year,” says chief marketing officer Allison Rand. “You have to be ready to tweak and adjust.”
Xponential Fitness-owned brand BFT (Body Fit Training), says utilization is the headline metric because it’s the clearest proxy for outcomes.
“If utilization is high, attrition will be low…. guaranteed,” says Steve Stonehouse, the brand’s vice president of education.
Meanwhile, East Coast contemporary gym chain Vida Fitness tracks behavior patterns that show whether a member is finding their “fit” inside a multi-offering ecosystem.
“We watch engagement signals closely: visit frequency, class attendance patterns, how quickly new members settle into a routine,” explains director of content and creative Kendra Lee. “We’re less concerned with one perfect week and more focused on trends over time.”
Which brings the industry to the question that matters most: once those signals show up, what actions actually work?
The Tactics That Keep Members Engaged in Weeks 4–8
When it comes to retention, one message comes through clearly: the highest impact actions are not one-off campaigns. They’re behavioral triggers tied directly to what a member is doing — or not doing.
“I believe retention at this stage is about smart, pre-built campaigns and automation that live inside your systems and are deeply integrated with your MMS, not one-off efforts or heroic staff behavior,” says Daxko’s Allen.
Boutique fitness studio software platform Walla echoes that blend of automation plus human follow-through, especially when it’s based on behavior rather than time.
“Automations and genuine human interaction that respond to behavior, not time, make the biggest difference,” co-founder Laura Munkholm says. “We encourage clients to nudge members after missed visits, celebrate streaks after early wins, leverage instructors to send a quick text to new clients and personalize follow-ups based on attendance patterns and personality type.”
She adds that the industry’s biggest gap isn’t motivation, it’s post-purchase activation.
“January systems are great at selling motivation, but weak at engineering follow-through,” she says. “Consistency isn’t a mindset problem; it’s a systems and experience problem.”
Shannon Tracey, vice president of sales and marketing at all-in-one fitness software platform Xplor Mariana Tek, emphasizes the same idea through a specific retention milestone: the fifth visit.
“Our data shows a client’s third and fourth visits are just as important to long-term retention,” she says. “The average number of check-ins before conversion to membership is five, and retention rates stay above 90% after the fifth visit.”
Her takeaway: “If studios can keep a client engaged through the fifth visit, they’re likely to be a long-term customer.” Tracey also points to early-stage retention mechanics that many studios underuse, including a counterintuitive conversion lever.
“We would also recommend paid introductory offers instead of free ones,” she says. “Our user data shows that conversion rates are much higher when there’s a cost associated.”
And when it comes to keeping engagement high after onboarding, Tracey highlights gamification as both a habit builder and revenue driver.
“Our data shows clients place 2x more orders post-challenge, and challenge participants have 30% higher retention and take 3x more classes per month after the challenge ends,” she notes.
In the field, operators are applying these same principles — structure, accountability and consistent touchpoints — through their own models.
At Los Angeles boutique strength training facility The Gym Venice, co-founder Kris Herbert says the key is early consistency and proactive scheduling behavior.
“Training consistency is the most important metric, and it’s monitored in real time,” he says. “If a member hasn’t scheduled sessions at least a week in advance, trainers and management proactively reach out to re-engage them.”
At Miami’s Legacy, owner Manning Sumner describes the same tactic in human terms.
“Most gyms lose January members in the invisible moments, when someone misses a week and no one notices,” he says. “If someone goes quiet, we reach out, no automation, no generic emails.”
The Edge’s Moretti describes a highly structured engagement system designed specifically for the motivation dip.
“January gets people in the door, February and March are where we decide whether they stay, so we shift from onboarding to intentional engagement,” he says.
Which Gap Should Operators Fix First?
Nearly every operator and executive believes in one operational truth: retention improves when member behavior is consistently turned into action.
“If a gym could only fix one operational gap after January to reduce churn, it should be what happens after the New Year rush: the lack of an always-on retention engine,” Xplor Mariana Tek’s Tracey says. “The gap for boutique fitness studios isn’t pricing, programming or even sales. It’s the absence of timely, behavior-based engagement that responds when a member’s attendance drops, routines break or early momentum stalls.”
And at Hot Bones, Rasmussen’s answer lands on an experiential foundation that drives everything else.
“Creating emotional safety,” she says. “Retention is not built through louder motivation or better incentives, it’s built through belonging.”
