Why Adding Additional People to Classes Drives More Revenue and Retention

Fitness consumers are winning—and they are spending. The global fitness industry was worth $96.7 billion in 2022, and with a growth rate of 8.7% per year over the past few years, personal well-being is once again prioritized. And consumers are more than willing to pay pre-pandemic prices (especially millennials, who make up 45% of memberships) because they are gaining more options, more flexibility, and have a greater understanding of the impact of fitness-related habits. You can thank TikTok or the widespread emphasis on wellness for that. 

So how can your studio expand its programs and offerings to capture client attention further, sell more, and capitalize on the spending for high-quality fitness and wellness experiences without an added expense or big lift? By adding additional clients to appointments. 

Appointments enable your studio to sell and market personalized experiences, which is what your community wants. Plus, Walla makes it easy to quickly create, schedule quickly, and book appointments, too. Over 74% of Americans value action-oriented adventures over products, and since spending on wellness is at the top of their minds, it's something it will make time for on their schedule. And tell their friends about.

From a Pilates duet to a private yoga flow for four and even an exclusive girlfriend's stretch session, here are a few reasons why encouraging and promoting the addition of individuals to appointments at your studio can help you earn more retainable and reliable revenue on a more immediate basis.

Ready, set, schedule: Save time by quickly adding additional clients to appointments

Every client who walks through your door and is committed to your studio is willing to invest in themselves and experiences, like appointments and private sessions. Walla makes it seamless to add another client to an appointment from the booking flow. When scheduling an appointment for a client, you can search for another contact(s), include them in the appointment, and check everyone out on screen in seconds. No barrier to booking, and no time is lost trying to figure it out in the backend. Just real-time engagement that impacts your bottom line! 

Invite only: Make adding friends or family to appointments a topic of conversation and communication 

Do your clients know you offer appointments? Are they aware they can do private sessions with their best friend, sister, aunt—or anyone? Talk about bringing another person to these types of top-notch experiences at your studio while you’re chatting at the front desk or a friendly reminder after class. Tap into your marketing channels, too. Utilize app announcements to promote appointments, especially during holidays and seasonal events (like Mother’s Day), weave the messaging into your email marketing campaigns, and post on social media. Think about how you can easily increase awareness around appointment offerings, boosting bookings, revenue, engagement, and retention. 

Attendance check: Encourage accountability, motivate, and eliminate the chance of a no-show + late cancels

Studies show that we are more likely to pick up healthy behaviors if we book and do the activity with a willing participant with more intensity (sometimes by 200%!). That’s some major motivation. By informing your clients about fitness and wellness experiences and the ability to include others in a high-quality session, whether it’s personal training or a private barre class. Use appointments with additional attendees as a marketing tactic, too. They will be more likely to tell their friends and show up to your studio, so you’re not stuck with a late cancel or no-show, especially if it’s a specific instructor or staff member who took time out of their schedule for the session. But if your clients do miss the studio experience, you can track that data in our reporting. And by returning clients booking appointments and telling someone else to come to your studio experience, you’re getting qualified leads through your door with the opportunity to convert them into long-term studio members.  

By giving your studio and clients an easy-to-schedule and access appointment experience, you’re encouraging spending, booking, and wellness-related behavior and allowing your clients to talk about your experiences with friends—bringing new prospects into your studio and your sales and marketing strategy.