Gym visits flourished at the start of 2024, as consumers made their yearly New Years resolutions and flocked to fitness clubs nationwide. But how did category leaders fare in Q2 2024? We dove into the data to find out – zooming in on Planet Fitness, a major player in the fitness space.
Planet Fitness Sees YoY Visits Rise in H1 2024
Throughout H1 2024, Planet Fitness experienced consistent YoY visit growth, finishing out Q2 2024 with a quarterly increase of 6.3% compared to the equivalent period of 2023. And though some of this visit growth is due to Planet Fitness’ ongoing expansion, the average number of visits to each of the chain’s gyms also increased YoY during most of the analyzed period.
Starting the Week on a Roll
Indeed, only in March and May 2024 did the average number of visits to each Planet Fitness location decline YoY. And a look at the weekly breakdown of visits to Planet Fitness shows that these declines may be due, in part, to calendar shifts.
Location analytics reveal that though some people like to hit the gym on weekends, many customers prefer to get their exercise in on regular work days, especially at the start of the week: Throughout H1 2024, Planet Fitness drew the most visits on Mondays (17.4% of weekly visits), Tuesdays (17.7%), and Wednesdays (17.2%), with attendance dropping steadily as the week wore on. And both March and May 2024 – the two months that saw visits per location decline YoY – contained fewer non-holiday Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays than the equivalent periods of 2023.
An Increasingly Loyal Visitor Base
Planet Fitness’ continued visit success appears to be driven, in part, by its growing share of frequent visitors. Gym visitation is highly seasonal – with visits slumping during the holidays and then spiking in January, as people vow to double down on exercise routines.
A look at changes in the share of Planet Fitness visitors hitting the gym at least four times per month (roughly, once a week) reveals a similar pattern. The share of frequent visitors is at its highest in January, remains elevated through April or May, and declines as the year draws to a close. (January 2022 deviated from this pattern, likely due to the Omicron resurgence.)
Despite these seasonal fluctuations, the share of visitors making weekly stops at Planet Fitness has been on an overall upward trajectory – going higher each year between 2021 and 2023. And though this rise leveled off in 2024 amidst a stabilizing fitness market, frequent visitor rates remained high in 2024, with some months seeing continued YoY increases. This elevated loyalty is good news for Planet Fitness – since more engaged customers are more likely to renew or even upgrade their memberships.
Looking Ahead
With value still top of mind for many consumers, Planet Fitness’ famously low prices have positioned the chain for success. Will this positive momentum continue as consumers adjust to the chain’s first basic membership price increase in 26 years?
Follow Placer.ai’s data-driven analyses to find out.
*This report excludes locations within Washington state due to local legislation.
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