Collaboration vs aggregation - what’s the difference?

As an industry, we still underestimate the power of a truly varied fitness regime. We also probably still underestimate the growing appetite for it, especially among emerging customer segments.

True variety doesn’t just make the fitness regime more effective, it makes the customer more active for longer.

To get customers active in the first place, building a routine with them or enabling them to build one themselves, is critical. We all recognise and value this insight.

However, at Move we passionately believe equal focus should be given to enabling real variety of activity within that routine.

Exercise scientists at the University of Florida observed individuals who modified their workouts every two weeks over an eight-week period. Those individuals enjoyed their workouts more and were more inclined to stick with their exercise programs when compared to individuals who followed the same workout regimens week after week.

Move partners see exactly the same pattern, only in our context we see it created by a variety of class or activity attendance. And if anything, the effect is even bigger.

I recognise that Move is sometimes mentioned in the same breath as aggregators. And, no, I don’t think aggregation per se is inherently problematic, especially if focused on one-off passes for lead generation. It can drive higher penetration across the market as a whole.

The existence of aggregators in adjacent categories only serves to shape customer expectations, behaviours and habits across all industries including our own. To stick our heads in the sand on this front is just self-defeating, especially with regard to younger audiences.

But while pure aggregation might deliver choice and potential value for the customer, it only engenders promiscuity. It does not engender loyalty. And this is where Move is different.

A recent study comparing single-venue users (ie non-MoveGB) with multi-venue users (ie MoveGB members) showed that the multi-venue customers stay 7.5 months longer on average.

So, clearly, there is a different dynamic at work, and collaboration is central to it.

Activity variety keeps customers physically challenged but, crucially, more mentally stimulated too. Add in the social benefits of group exercise and you have a perfect recipe to keep customers coming back *and* make them more active.

By enabling collaboration between our partners, we’re unlocking this possibility.

In that previous study I mentioned, this then translates into 7.5 months of real extra value to share with our partners.

The key is to deliver value for both customer - through the right pricing where variety and convenience is valued more, and for operator through tapping into this demand and unlocking higher retention rates, new customer segments and increased lifetime value.

Do both, and the whole market grows.

And that’s what we call the Move effect.