The Key to Simplifying the Digital Fitness Journey 

Fitness On Demand illustrates why its tools and organizational ability are important for brands 

Copeland’s Performance Fitness in Harrah, OK, wasn’t connecting with its members the way it needed to. After expanding outside the city, finding qualified instructors became a challenge, and their retention metrics suffered.

“Consistency is truly the factor that keeps an audience engaged,” said founder Andy Copeland. “When an instructor isn’t reliable, the class suffers and members drift away.”

The Rochester Athletic Club dealt with a similar issue regarding availability. In its own area, members struggled to consistently carve out gym time. Missed weeks turned into missed months before crescendoing into cancellations. 

“Our member base has unique needs in terms of their work schedules and travel,” said Dr. Steve Boring, Fitness Director at Rochester Athletic Club. “Both engagement and consistency were issues for us, given that a member may not be able to even attend the club for a month or more.”

Fitness On Demand, the omnichannel fitness platform under the Lift Brands umbrella, couldn’t stop time or magically transport trainers, but was able to help these gyms nevertheless. With its expansive software suite, Fitness On Demand helped Copeland and Dr. Boring modernize their offerings and stabilize their businesses.

Making Things Accessible

With more than 1,800 on-demand and live streamable classes, Fitness On Demand cuts through barriers like instructor availability, time constraints or commuting difficulties to meet members where they’re at and deliver curated fitness experiences. Members can access content through any mobile device for quick use, while gyms can leverage it to turn empty or low-use spaces into specified fitness or recovery stations. 

“The flexibility it offers allows members to engage on their own terms, which is key to long-term adherence,” said Andy Peat, CEO of Fitness On Demand. “When people can fit fitness into their schedules in a way that feels manageable, they are more likely to stick with it.”

By partnering with Fitness On Demand, the Rochester Athletic Club was able to stem the tide of absenteeism by bringing classes to the members.

“It’s enhanced their overall experience by allowing them to access the club when they want to, rather than when they need to,” Dr. Boring said. “It’s also allowed us to engage with members outside our doors, offering them assistance when they travel, go on vacation or even when they get snowed in.” 

Copeland stopped worrying about instructor churn as well. If instructors weren’t available, members could still take a class by simply choosing a session from a menu on screen.

“The excitement on our founding members’ faces when they see a fully accessible, 24/7 on-demand fitness studio tells us we’re delivering something they didn’t realize they were missing,” Copeland said. “We’re early in the rollout, but the feedback so far has been everything we hoped for.”

Copeland also added that on-demand classes helped a handful of his newer members overcome “gymtimidation” by allowing them to try different workouts privately and build confidence before jumping in with the regulars. 

“The reaction has been outstanding,” Copeland remarked. 

Content Comes With Challenges

Adding new features or tools to meet consumer needs presents its own challenges, however. Without unification, more systems means more time spent managing or trying to digest data and less time potentially focused on delivering a standout experience.

“You might have one platform for content, another for member engagement and another for programming,” Peat said. “Each one serves a purpose, but they’re rarely designed to work together in a seamless way. That creates operational challenges. Teams are managing multiple systems, training becomes more complex and there’s often duplication of costs and effort just to keep everything aligned.”

This complexity burdens members as well. Different systems force users to juggle different logins and navigate multiple interfaces. 

“All of this makes it harder to deliver a smooth omnichannel experience,” Peat said. “Instead of feeling connected, members feel disjointed, which ultimately impacts long-term engagement.”

Fitness On Demand Brings Cohesion

Uninterested in replacing one problem with another, Fitness On Demand put everything for Copeland’s and Rochester Athletic Club on one platform, as it does with all its clients.

Fitness On Demand gives brands one user-friendly solution to manage their studio spaces, member engagement and resource allocation. This enables data-driven insights for clients by viewing and adjusting everything easily from one spot. 

“When everything sits within one platform, operators can see how members are engaging across different touchpoints and make more informed decisions based on that insight,” Peat said. “It also creates a more efficient way to scale programming and engagement without adding additional strain on teams.” 

And members no longer need to hop from platform to platform trying to piece together different parts of their fitness journey. Instead, they get a singular, straight path powered by their mobile app and augmented with a few intuitive touchscreen devices throughout the gym.

“This is where omnichannel fitness becomes more effective,” Peat said. “It is not just about offering multiple ways to engage; it is about connecting them into one cohesive experience. When that connection is in place, engagement becomes more natural, routines become easier to maintain and over time, that leads to stronger retention.”

A Key to Success

As the appetite for hybrid fitness increases, Fitness On Demand expects comprehensive, consolidated experiences to differentiate high-performing businesses from their unsuccessful counterparts. 

“The next shift is less about access and more about guidance,” Peat said. “Most platforms today offer a wide range of content, but they still rely on the member to figure out what to do next. Increasingly, people are looking for a more guided, personalized experience that helps them stay on track and make progress.”

With consumers demanding personalized insights that take a more holistic look at their health and overall well-being, brands will need to account for even more systems, making now the time to invest in consolidated platforms.. 

“It’s no longer just about offering access,” Peat added. “The real differentiator is helping members stay consistent, see real progress and fit fitness into their daily lives in a way that feels natural and sustainable.”