{"id":126809,"date":"2025-05-24T02:17:12","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T02:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/126809\/"},"modified":"2025-05-24T02:17:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T02:17:12","slug":"is-classpass-good-for-studios-it-depends-who-you-ask-but-the-numbers-dont-lie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/126809\/","title":{"rendered":"Is ClassPass Good for Studios? It Depends Who You Ask \u2013 but the Numbers Don\u2019t Lie"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe popular booking platform has its critics, but there are strong data points suggesting ClassPass is a net positive for boutique fitness<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

ClassPass has fundamentally changed the boutique fitness industry since its inception in 2013, giving wellness enthusiasts around the world the ability to try new studios at the touch of a button, all without being tied down to a long-term membership.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But not everyone is a fan of the popular platform that lets people book fitness classes and wellness appointments at discount rates. Some studio owners complain that the service cannibalizes their business since they earn less revenue from ClassPass bookings than traditional ones. Rival booking services have even cropped up claiming to offer a better deal for small business owners<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Proponents of ClassPass<\/a> point to its ability to serve as a powerful marketing tool at scale, connecting studios with a vast amount of potential new clients who can become long-term members, a service the platform effectively provides for free.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the truth may be somewhere in the middle, ClassPass CEO Fritz Lanman believes the platform does a lot more good than harm for boutique fitness studios, especially if it\u2019s used properly \u2013 and he\u2019s got the data to back that assertion up.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Athletech News spoke with Lanman and several fitness owners and executives who\u2019ve seen positive results from ClassPass to get their takes on why the platform is beneficial for the industry.<\/p>\n

\u2018Incremental Revenue\u2019 Is the Name of the Game<\/strong><\/p>\n

Much of the debate around whether ClassPass cannibalizes business stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of how the platform works, Lanman argues.\u00a0<\/p>\n

ClassPass isn\u2019t meant to function as the primary way a fitness studio fills its class spots; it\u2019s designed to help studios fill otherwise empty seats with paying customers they likely wouldn\u2019t have reached on their own.<\/p>\n

\u201cClassPass\u2019 goal is to help businesses monetize unfilled class and appointment spots with clients they would not have attracted themselves, at prices that maximize their revenue on that excess capacity,\u201d Lanman tells ATN.<\/p>\n

\"MindbodyFritz Lanman (credit: Mindbody\/ClassPass)<\/p>\n

This type of service is especially important in an industry like fitness, Lanman argues, since class spots are perishable \u2013 if someone doesn\u2019t show up for Jane\u2019s 7:00pm yoga class, that revenue is lost forever. There also tends to be a lot of excess capacity (unfilled seats) in the fitness industry, so a service like ClassPass solves a problem many studio owners face.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In essence, ClassPass\u2019 entire reason for existing is to help fitness and wellness brands drive \u201cincremental revenue,\u201d or money they wouldn\u2019t have earned without the platform.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It does this quite well, according to the numbers. The average Mindbody business sees a 29% increase in incremental revenue after six months on ClassPass, the platform says. While ClassPass only has access to this type of data for businesses that use Mindbody software (the two brands are affiliated<\/a>), there\u2019s reason to believe the same holds true for businesses that use other providers.<\/p>\n

In all, ClassPass reports that 99.5% of its partners that opt into\u00a0the\u00a0Mindbody Guarantee<\/a>\u00a0program gain incremental revenue from being on the platform. What\u2019s more, the company says it\u2019s injected $1.6 billion of revenue into the global wellness economy since the COVID shutdowns of 2020.<\/p>\n

Solidcore, one of the fastest-growing brands in boutique fitness<\/a>, uses the platform primarily to \u201csell excess inventory,\u201d and fill up \u201coff-peak classes,\u201d according to the brand\u2019s vice president of strategy and insights Gillian Almeida<\/p>\n

\u201cClassPass has been an invaluable partner in helping us optimize revenue while ensuring our direct business remains the priority,\u201d Almeida says. \u201cWe\u2019re data-driven at Solidcore<\/a>, and in every way we\u2019ve analyzed it, our ClassPass revenue has been truly incremental.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"interiorcredit: [solidcore]ClassPass Users (Probably) Don\u2019t Want To Join Your Studio \u2013 At Least Not Yet<\/strong><\/p>\n

A common fear among fitness business owners is that their loyal members will flee to ClassPass for cheaper prices. Why spend $200\/month on a single membership when you join a platform that lets you sample many different studios, often for less money than you were originally paying?\u00a0<\/p>\n

This seems like a perfectly reasonable concern, in theory. But there are a couple of key reasons why it doesn\u2019t play out that way in reality, Lanman says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For one, ClassPass users tend to occupy a distinct demographic: younger, more price-sensitive consumers who crave variety. They aren\u2019t usually the types of clients seeking an unlimited membership plan at a single studio (at least not in the beginning).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Data shows that 94% of ClassPass users are new to the studios they visit, and 56% are new to group fitness entirely.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The other main reason why a studio\u2019s loyal members typically don\u2019t jump ship and become full-time ClassPass users: they don\u2019t get the same in-class experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAvailability for ClassPass users is unpredictable, prices are unpredictable and they don\u2019t get to choose their machine\/bike\/mat, or benefit from policies specific to direct bookers,\u201d Lanman admits.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The platform does this to incentivize people to pay for full-time memberships if there\u2019s a studio they really like. That strategy appears to be working.\u00a0<\/p>\n

ClassPass reports that after an initial three-month \u201cshopping\u201d period, 91% of its users\u2019 subsequent visits were to the same two to three studios in 2024. For businesses able to deliver a strong experience, there\u2019s an opportunity to win new members.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re creating that first starting point with ClassPass, that first step through the door\u2026and then they hopefully fall in love with all the different services we have,\u201d\u00a0says Karen Abouzeid, the founder of MIYU Beauty and Wellbeing<\/a>, a yoga and Pilates studio in Virginia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a result, ClassPass converts more users to direct studio members than it takes from studios, Lanman reports.<\/p>\n

\"twocredit: ClassPass
\n See Also<\/p>\n

\"Woman<\/a><\/p>\n

Nothing\u2019s Free in This World \u2026 Except a Listing on ClassPass<\/strong><\/p>\n

ClassPass\u2019 other chief selling point: free exposure. It doesn\u2019t cost any money to list on ClassPass, and brands that appear on the platform gain access to over two million users \u2013 a mom-and-pop Pilates studio can find itself listed next to group fitness giant Barry\u2019s<\/a> on someone\u2019s app.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This can be very helpful for new brands looking to make it in the crowded, competitive world of boutique fitness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing exposure, especially for a new business,\u201d says Steph Rountree, the founder of Bolt Fitness<\/a> in Chicago. \u201cEvery client that comes in ClassPass is an opportunity for that gym. You never know down the line if maybe they\u2019re going to join your gym. Maybe they\u2019re going to buy a pack from you; maybe they\u2019re going to buy your merchandise, and that\u2019s one (more) person walking around with your branding.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while it\u2019s true that studios earn less from a ClassPass booking than they would from a normal purchase (anywhere from 40 to 90% of the standard retail price depending on demand level) it\u2019s possible for brands to recoup those costs by not having to run as many ads or offer discounted rates to get people inside their doors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen businesses account for the discounts they offer and the marketing costs they incur when selling directly, they can often earn more per spot through ClassPass,\u201d Lanman says.<\/p>\n

\"\"Insights from ClassPass\u2019 partner dashboard (credit: ClassPass)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Numbers Don\u2019t Lie<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear that ClassPass presents some compelling benefits for boutique fitness brands. While none of these data points and customer testimonials should serve to minimize the real-life concerns some business owners have expressed when using ClassPass, Lanman is confident the platform is driving the boutique fitness industry forward.<\/p>\n

As evidence, he points to the platform\u2019s impressive retention rate: last year, 95% of businesses that made over $50\/month on ClassPass chose to stay.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a partner finds that ClassPass is not serving them for whatever reason, they are free to leave the platform whenever they want,\u201d he says. \u201cThe fact that very, very few do is strong validation that the model we have built works as designed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lanman also calls attention to an important point about why some fitness studios might see more success on ClassPass than others. <\/p>\n

\u201cStronger businesses do better on ClassPass, and weaker businesses do worse,\u201d he notes. <\/p>\n

In 2024, classes on ClassPass that were less than 50% full with direct members commanded 45% lower rates than classes that were over 80% full with direct members.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn other words, ClassPass can\u2019t save a business that has a weak clientele,\u201d Lanman says. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The popular booking platform has its critics, but there are strong data points suggesting ClassPass is a net…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":126810,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4322],"tags":[15911,56043,56044,1630,56045,105,56046,16,15,5256],"class_list":{"0":"post-126809","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-boutique-fitness","9":"tag-classpass","10":"tag-fit-tech","11":"tag-fitness","12":"tag-fritz-lanman","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-mindbody","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-zzz-a"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114560410966598275","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126809\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}