Keepme Unveils Groundbreaking ‘Time to Reply’ Study: Australian Fitness Industry Falling Behind in Lead Response Efficiency

At Keepme, we are committed to helping fitness operators maximize their member acquisition efforts through cutting-edge AI-powered solutions. As part of our ongoing efforts to better understand the challenges facing the fitness industry, we recently conducted a comprehensive 'Time to Reply' study in Australia, focusing on the response times and quality of communications membership prospects could from Australian fitness operators. The results are both eye-opening and a call to action for fitness businesses across the country.

The Study at a Glance

Our study sent 202 emails and 338 social media membership inquiries to a diverse range of Australian fitness operators, including Multi-Site Independents, Public Leisure Authorities, Franchise/Corporate Chains, and Independent Health Clubs/Gyms. The objective was to evaluate three critical pillars of lead generation: Certainty of Reply, Speed to Reply, and Quality of Response.

The findings reveal significant gaps in how fitness centers are responding to potential members, with delays and poor-quality replies potentially costing them valuable opportunities to grow their membership base.

Key Findings:

• Certainty of Reply: Across all channels, a worrying number of inquiries were left unanswered. Facebook had the highest percentage of missed inquiries, with 33% going completely ignored. Even email, traditionally a more reliable channel, saw 18% of inquiries without a response.

• Speed to Reply: The study showed that fitness centers are struggling to meet the industry’s critical 5-minute “golden window” for responding to leads. Email inquiries took an average of 7.5 hours to receive a reply, while Instagram inquiries lagged even further, with an average response time of 31 hours. These delays significantly reduce the likelihood of converting a lead into a member.

• Quality of Response: The responses that were received often lacked the necessary detail or clear calls to action. Over 28% of email replies did not adequately answer the question posed, and 69% of social media replies that correctly answered the inquiry, then failed to mention essential next steps, such as booking a tour or trial.

Why These Findings Matter

In today’s fast-paced digital environment, potential gym members expect quick, informative, and personalized responses to their inquiries. Our study highlights that Australian fitness operators are missing crucial opportunities to engage with prospects, resulting in higher costs per lead (CPL) and cost per acquisition (CPA).

We know from other research that leads responded to within 5 minutes are 100 times more likely to connect and 21 times more likely to convert. By failing to meet this standard, fitness centers are not only losing potential members but also incurring unnecessary marketing costs that could be avoided with a more efficient response strategy.

Read the full study analysis here.

Segmented Insights

The study segmented the responses by the type of fitness operator, providing deeper insights into performance across different sectors:

• Multi-Site Independents performed best in email response times but struggled with timely social media engagement, particularly on Instagram, where response times averaged over 2,500 minutes.

• Public Leisure Authorities had the lowest email response rate and the slowest response times across both email and Instagram, highlighting a significant area for improvement.

• Franchise/Corporate Chains showed better overall response rates but fell short in speed, particularly on Instagram, where response times averaged 1,902 minutes.

• Independent Health Clubs/Gyms excelled in response rates but missed the critical 5-minute window more than any other segment, especially on Instagram, despite leading in overall response rates.

Commitment to Fitness Industry Excellence

At Keepme, our mission is to empower fitness operators with the tools they need to succeed in a highly competitive market. The ‘Time to Reply’ study underscores the importance of prompt, effective communication in member acquisition, and we are dedicated to helping our clients optimize their strategies to achieve better results.

As we continue to innovate and provide solutions that address the industry’s most pressing challenges, we look forward to seeing Australian fitness operators rise to the occasion, improving their engagement with prospects and driving sustained growth in their membership base.