UTime Fitness partners with Virtuagym to launch an upgraded fitness app that empowers members to conveniently workout at their own time and place
UTime Fitness Partners with Virtuagym
Enables Members to Access Results on Location, on Demand, and on the Go
Identifying Gaps in a Pandemic
Gyms and fitness apps have coexisted both competitively and collaboratively in the last decade, addressing the demands of different types of consumers. Gyms provide great physical location, equipment, and personnel for the socially motivated aficionado, while apps provide options, flexibility, and independence for the internally driven enthusiast. Both options have great offerings, also gaps that only one or the other can fulfill.
While there were 656 million downloads worldwide of fitness apps as the pandemic started, recent studies show that more and more people also want the option to go back to the gym in person as well. In the US alone, gyms nationwide are back up to 83% of their pre-pandemic foot traffic levels.
“No one in the market is enabling consumers to have the best of both worlds. If there are, it would be a difficult or an inconvenient experience with an expensive price tag. With the amount of tech that has gone into fitness development, it is surprising that no one has pushed for a fully hybrid tier yet” Rey says.
Both the abundance of options and the lack of seamless solutions for consumers is discouraging for those who want to be healthier without having to manage multiple solutions on their memberships and their mobile. “This has been a prevailing sentiment within the industry for years,” adds Rey. “The pandemic just magnified the demand for it.”
Finding Solutions in Partnerships
Armed with the experience of leading an entire region through the uncertainty of COVID-19 in 2020, Rey recently took on the leadership at UTime Fitness as CEO and Managing Partner to address these gaps in 2021. The new direction included a deep dive into the intricate processes required to make a fully integrated, seamless, and hybrid membership possible. The first step was finding partners who shared the same vision and had the capability of making it happen.
“UTime Fitness approached Virtuagym not as a vendor or a service provider. They approached us as a partner within a shared ecosystem, which is exactly how we view ourselves, an enabler in the fitness industry through our gym management, coaching, and member engagement solutions. UTime Fitness approached their hybrid membership offering from the lens of members, staff, and the gym owner, and we were excited to work with a company that shared our values in fitness and in providing solutions, states Paul Braam, CEO and Cofounder of Virtuagym.
The partnership with Virtuagym is the first of a series of fitness collaborations that UTime Fitness has in the works. Virtuagym will be the foundation app that will allow members to get guidance on exercise and nutrition, communicate and be coached by their PTs, and even signup, schedule, and pay for their services. These features, integrated into the UTime Fitness ecosystem, seamlessly combines physical and digital fitness into one hybrid membership.
Accessing Results in One Push
UTime Fitness’ next step is to upgrade all memberships to the new hybrid model. “Current members will enjoy the digital access, and new members will be signed up to enable access to both the premium version of the app and all our gym locations. We are currently in pilot in Hong Kong, and we are pleased by the uptake in our gyms. The best of both worlds – physical and digital – in one membership, is finally here.” Rey says.
The hybrid membership was introduced as a new tier called Results Access membership, which offers a 12-month gym access contract and UTime App Pro access in one membership. An early bird offer is going live this October a perk to all current members and non-members.
The new membership tiers are purposefully named to highlight UTime Fitness’ commitment to getting results through transparency and shared accountability with the members. Available data will go beyond gym access to nutrition, wellness, workouts, and more on the UTime app, where members can track their progress, and more importantly, their results.
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About UTime Fitness
UTime Fitness is a modular fitness franchise offering a fully integrated fitness experience with flexible and hybrid memberships driven by results-based fitness and wellness solutions available on location, on demand, and on the go. UTime Fitness is open to members in 3 locations in Hong Kong at Sai Ying Pun, Happy Valley, and Quayside as well as in 2 locations in Thailand in Blue Tree, Phuket and Nawamin, Bangkok. UTime Fitness is soon to rise in new locations in Swansea and Leicester UK in partnership with True Student Living under the Bricks Group.