Insights from TeamUp’s global dataset show why consistency, simplicity and between-session engagement matter more than motivation alone.
Most gyms and studios invest heavily in what happens inside a class. They refine programming, hire great coaches, and dial in equipment, playlists, lighting and layout. All of that matters. But when it comes to retention, what happens before and after class matters just as much — if not more.
For many operators, retention isn’t lost because the workout falls short. It’s lost in the moments between sessions — when booking feels clunky, communication goes quiet, accountability fades or small points of friction slowly erode a member’s emotional connection to the business.
“That’s where most gyms underestimate the experience,” says Marissa Alden, General Manager of TeamUp. “As soon as a member walks out the door, they’re at risk of drifting away. Out of sight really can become out of mind.”
TeamUp, a group fitness management platform with more than a decade of experience in the category, has built its entire product around that reality. And the data behind it is hard to ignore.
In 2025 alone, fitness businesses using TeamUp processed more than 34 million class bookings, giving the company one of the most comprehensive real-world datasets in the industry. That scale has made one thing clear: retention isn’t primarily a motivation problem — it’s a systems problem.
The Retention Risk No One Sees Coming
Ask most operators why members churn and you’ll hear familiar answers: inconsistency, busy schedules, lost motivation. But from TeamUp’s vantage point, the warning signs show up earlier, and often outside the gym.
“The longer someone stays away, the easier it is for them to drop off entirely,” Alden says. “That’s why the between-session experience is so critical.”
Missed touchpoints. No reminders. No sense of progress. No gentle nudge to come back. Those gaps compound quickly.
TeamUp’s recommendation is straightforward: don’t disappear when members leave the building.
Studios using custom-branded apps with consistent messaging, easy booking and on-demand engagement perform dramatically better. According to TeamUp’s 2025 Fitness Industry Trend Report, gyms with a branded app saw 1.6x more registrations on average than those without one.
“That’s not about novelty,” Alden notes. “It’s about staying connected in a way that feels natural and useful to the member.”
Push notifications, in-app messaging, on-demand content and seamless booking all serve one purpose: keeping the gym present in a member’s daily life without requiring more staff time.
Consistency is the single biggest predictor of retention. But consistency doesn’t come from willpower alone — it comes from removing obstacles.
“One of the biggest drivers of bookings is simply making it easy,” Alden says. “When booking is frictionless, people show up.”
TeamUp’s data supports that claim. In 2025, studios with memberships activated on the platform received 5.3x more bookings on average than those without. Because TeamUp allows all bookings — including drop-ins and packs — to live under memberships, cancellations convert into credits instead of refunds, keeping both engagement and revenue in the system.
Timing matters too. Members aren’t booking last minute. On average, classes were booked 10 to 12 days in advance, while appointments were booked 13 to 15 days ahead. That makes scheduling clarity and accuracy essential.
“If your schedule and scheduling system aren’t clean, organized and reliable, you’re losing bookings before you even realize it,” Alden says.
Where Retention Breaks Down – Execution at Scale
Most owners know what they should be doing: follow-ups, reminders, accountability touchpoints, celebrations. The problem is execution.
“When everything is manual, it’s easy for things to fall through the cracks,” Alden says. “Or you just run out of time.”
This is where all-in-one systems matter. TeamUp automates much of the operational workload that incrementally undermines retention, from class schedules and waitlists to communications, billing and reviews, freeing staff to focus on coaching and relationships instead of administration.
Free trials are a perfect example. Without automation, they’re difficult to manage and even harder to follow up on. With TeamUp, gyms that activated free trials saw 3.5x more bookings than those that didn’t.
Waitlists tell a similar story. Studios with waitlists enabled received 2.9x more bookings, automatically filling canceled spots without staff intervention.
Even point-of-sale matters more than operators realize. Gyms with POS systems activated brought in 1.8x more revenue, driven by the ease of purchasing small items that reinforce loyalty and trust.
Friction doesn’t just cost bookings. It damages the emotional relationship between member and brand.
“Modern consumers value ease above almost everything else,” Alden says. “When booking is confusing or communication is inconsistent, it undermines trust.”
Trust is built through reliability: easy payments, predictable schedules, responsive communication and small moments of recognition. TeamUp enables studios to automate celebration messages — after a first class, a milestone visit or a referral — reinforcing progress without adding staff burden.
Automated billing plays a critical role as well. When payments are seamless, members don’t feel stressed and operators aren’t stuck chasing down balances.
“Retention is simply a matter of making things simple,” Alden says. “The businesses that make life easier are the ones members stay loyal to.”
Retention Is an Operations Strategy, Not a Marketing Hack
Retention is often framed as a marketing or sales challenge. TeamUp sees it differently.
“Retention is absolutely an operational systems problem,” Alden says. “When operations are strong, marketing and sales become easier.”
Automatic nurture streams, app-based engagement, flexible booking and consistent communication create a foundation where retention happens naturally. Marketing and sales amplify what operations make possible.
From TeamUp’s perspective, the most successful gyms don’t add more complexity — they remove it.
“If the system is intuitive, it supports continuity instead of creating friction,” says Alden.
TeamUp’s confidence isn’t theoretical. It’s informed by scale.
In the past year:
- 34 million bookings were processed through the platform
- Fitness businesses across 56 countries used TeamUp
- The global fitness industry continued its growth trajectory, with a projected 8.83% CAGR through 2030, according to Fortune Business Insights
That volume gives TeamUp a rare, macro-level view of what actually works — and what can easily fail — in real gyms, every day.
If Alden had to distill retention into a single idea, it would be this:
“Retention comes from ease,” she says. “When you make it simple for members to explore, book and stay engaged, loyalty follows.”
Read more insights from TeamUp in their 2026 Group fitness industry trend report.
