How Data Can Help Your Fitness Studio Avoid the Summer Slowdown and Keep Classes Full

In a world where over 82% of Americans prioritize wellness (and an industry worth over $480 billion), having a packed schedule and full fitness classes at your studio should be the norm. But seasonality happens, client schedules change, and your top instructors take vacations—directly impacting class attendance, revenue, and retention. So, what can you do to turn the notorious “summertime studio slump” into a positive for your profitability? 

Yes, offering ultimate flexibility with virtual classes and getting creative with your sales and retention strategies is a piece of the revenue-generating puzzle, but what about the details regarding your studio schedule? The summer season is the perfect time to look deeper at your instructor and class reporting in Walla and utilize data to make more informed seasonal schedule decisions. Here’s how tapping into the Teacher Ranking, Instructor Stats, and Class Analysis reporting, and leveraging Walla’s Sub Management Tool, can help you avoid the slow studio season while maximizing visibility and interest. 

Teacher Ranking Report: Using the numbers to make your schedule more effective 

Walla’s Teacher Ranking Report offers a comprehensive, data-driven overview to help your studio strategically manage your class rosters, especially when class attendance is experiencing a lull. This report assesses instructor performance based on fill rates, client retention, profitability, and reliability. By analyzing these factors, you can make informed decisions on instructor scheduling, pay rates, and overall staff effectiveness, ultimately boosting client satisfaction and studio revenue. Ensuring your best instructors are leading class at the most popular time of day! The data should drive who is on your studio schedule, especially if you optimize class times during the summer months. 

A few key features that can help with scheduling decisions include: 

• Instructor comparison: Evaluate instructors based on studio averages and client engagement so you can make data-based scheduling decisions when you need to boost attendance.  
• Performance metrics: From average fill rate to reliability and profitability, see exactly who your most popular moneymakers are and see if you can incentivize them to be on your schedule more this summer. 

Becoming more strategic with informed scheduling (and who deserves more or fewer classes based on performance data) not only improves client-instructor interactions and fosters a positive studio environment, but it also allows you to make a marketing and engagement push to your community this summer and beyond. 

Instructor Stats: Set clear expectations and measure demand to maximize your class schedule

Part of owning and managing a studio involves making critical decisions about staff, client retention, and profitability. And when it’s the slower summer season, every schedule decision counts. Walla’s Instructor Stats Dashboard simplifies this by offering real-time data on key metrics such as client retention, demand, profitability, popularity, reliability, and instructor-client chemistry. This tool helps you make informed decisions, optimize class schedules, set clear expectations, and improve studio performance.

Metrics that can empower your studio scheduling decisions include: 

• Profitability and popularity: Easily analyze booking trends based on instructor, like client preferences and who helps your studio be more profitable (and keep those classes full). This type of data can help you accurately schedule specific instructors and class types when trying to increase class attendance sustainably. 
• Demand: Just like it sounds, easily view exactly who is impacting class fill rates and attendance. Who do your clients want to book this? Use this data (and some incentives) to see if these instructors who influence demand and willing to teach more classes this summer. Even consider a challenge for a summer bonus!

By identifying which instructors are making a difference is important to retaining both new and long-term clients—and positively representing your studio brand and mission.  

Class Analysis Report: The ultimate way to enhance your studio schedule this summer 

Walla’s Class Analysis Report is an invaluable tool for studios looking to boost bookings and streamline their class schedules, whether you’re measuring total classes and visits or revenue per class. Because we all know not every class is scheduling perfection during the slow or busy fitness seasons. The goal of the Class Analysis Report is to give you accurate insights into class performance, helping you tailor your classes and studio experiences to what your clients actually want—improving profitability and client traffic (which you definitely want to maximize during the “summer slump”). 

Some data points and numbers that can impact your studio schedule include: 

• In-person and livestream check-ins: Instantly filter down your class data by date, location, class, staff and day of week and see exactly how many people checked in to specific classes (virtual and in-studio). This data is especially helpful when you’re prompting flexibility this summer by offering livestream. By seeing if your clients are actually logging in to take classes wherever they are, you now have the opportunity to strategize better ways to promote online classes if you’re not seeing the results you want. Or you can decide to just stick to in-person classes this summer. 
• Fill rate and revenue: Tying all your schedule choices together in one easy-to-understand outline, the Class Analysis Report summarizes exactly what instructor, what class time and date is truly a gamechanger to your schedule. You can see what classes are in the green (and making you green!), allowing you to make more informed decisions on who, what, and when makes the most positive difference for your bottom line. 

Making strategic studio scheduling decisions this summer is vital to maximize revenue by ensuring high attendance at your classes. It enhances client satisfaction by offering popular classes at convenient times, ensuring clients remain engaged and happy. Efficient scheduling also optimizes the use of instructors and facilities, minimizing downtime and reducing costs. Adapting to seasonal trends and client needs helps maintain competitiveness in a dynamic market, keeping your studio ahead of the competition.