World Gym Australia Taps Coach Welly To Boost Engagement With AI

Coach Welly’s upcoming fitness engagement platform offers “a pioneering approach to member experience through AI,” the company says

World Gym Australia has teamed with Coach Welly, an Australian health tech platform founded in 2019, to enhance customer loyalty and satisfaction at its network of over 230 gym locations with AI-personalized support and rewards.

Owen Bowling, CEO of Coach Welly, noted that the partnership with World Gym Australia marks the debut of Coach Welly’s capabilities in health and fitness engagement.

“Our platform will offer a pioneering approach to member experience through AI-driven interactions, gamification, custom rewards and a comprehensive suite of fitness and wellness tools,” Bowling said. “World Gym Australia’s dedication to innovation and excellence makes them an ideal partner for our launch.”

Paul Bowman, CEO of Wexer and chairman of Coach Welly, says the collaboration, which will begin in the first quarter of 2024, is a testament to the brand’s commitment to empowering individuals in their health and wellness journeys with “cutting-edge AI for an unmatched fitness experience.”

Coach Welly recently secured pre-seed funding which valued the tech start-up at $4.25 million. The funding will support Coach Welly’s go-to-market plan. Prior to the announcement with World Gym Australia, Coach Welly teased that it had a “rapidly growing list of contracted customers.”

According to its website, Coach Welly already offers several approaches to member engagement, such as measuring “wellness readiness” and recommending activities for users.

Members scan their finger using the camera on their phone to discover a readiness score based on a heart rate variability in just sixty seconds. It’s a feature that Coach Welly says has been tested on over 1.5 million users, giving the platform a “headline” as to the readiness of a member. The findings are then used to provide the appropriate workout. Members can either opt for their curated workout or browse other available workouts in Coach Welly’s content library.

The platform also encourages members to stick to a routine with an accountability feature. Since Coach Welly is aware when a member skips a planned workout, it will encourage the member to get back on track. Members can sync their activities using their wearables to receive points.

“World Gym’s mission is to help our members reach their goals with an intelligent and inclusive approach to fitness,” Mike Nysten, director at World Gym Australia, said of the partnership with Coach Welly. “We are excited to utilize the best available technology to better support all of our members. No other technology we have seen will enable us to engage with our members no matter where they are or what other technology or apps they are using.”

Member engagement has long been a prime focus of those in the health and fitness industry as operators look to attract and retain clients. AI is seen by many gym and studio operators as well as software providers as a transformative tool in the quest to engage members in an increasingly competitive fitness landscape.