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The way I see it: Francesco Arlotti
As Technogym launches its new virtual and on-demand services, Francesco Arlotti, head of digital solutions, shares his thoughts with HCM
• Consumers are already digitally addicted. They’re there, waiting for us to catch up
• The digitisation of the sector was going to happen anyway. COVID-19 has simply accelerated the digital transformation
• This crisis is an opportunity – it’s thrown a spotlight on why our penetration rates were stagnating and forced us to be more creative in meeting customers’ needs
• An exclusively offline model is not a good option. Neither is exclusively online. There needs to be a blend
• We must understand what consumers want – focus on their needs rather than ours – and steer away from commoditising our product
• Clubs have a real possibility to become wellness hubs and completely innovate their business models – for example, by interacting with insurance companies, medical organisations and the corporate world
• A digital proposition can only be effectively monetised if it’s seamless
• The pandemic has given consumers a greater appreciation of good physical and mental health and handed us a more receptive audience
• We need to move members away from free fitness content on Facebook and Instagram. Operators need to re-establish a more regular relationship with members
• Our goal is to leverage the huge ecosystem we’ve created to offer people training experiences in line with their goals, personality and passions
• Home is a safe space for people with safety concerns around COVID-19, as well as those who haven’t used a gym before. Don’t fight the safe space, be in alliance with it
• 15 million people across 15,000 clubs globally are registered on Technogym’s Mywellness system. It’s about helping operators stay connected to their members 24/7
• Just because you’re market leader for phase one in the development of a market, that doesn’t mean you’ll still be market leader through the second, third and subsequent phases. Technogym didn’t fall into this trap. We continually evolve and develop. With digital, nothing ever stands still
• We’re launching a library of virtual on demand classes created by Technogym; if operators want to upload their own classes, they can do that too. Also launching is Coach Live video chat: live streaming where instructors can see people training at home and feed back on technique
Read the full interview with Francesco Arlotti in the Q2 edition of Fit Tech magazine.
