The ability to buy online has become a necessity for many consumers. Gladstone looks at how gym memberships are offered in this environment

Over the past two decades the rise of the internet has changed the way we spend our money. And although it’s now 21 years since the first web-based transaction took place, our appetite for online shopping shows no sign of waning – according to the Office for National Statistics, almost three-quarters (74 per cent) of British adults bought goods or services online last year.

The message is simple: whatever today’s consumers need – clothes, music, groceries, concert tickets, flights – they expect to be able to buy it online. And thanks to groundbreaking software products such as Gladstone Health and Leisure’s Join@Home, they can now add gym memberships to their online shopping baskets too.

Personalised experience
Since its launch three years ago, Join@Home has revolutionised membership sales in gyms and leisure centres across the country by allowing customers to sign up from the comfort of their own home (or indeed anywhere) at a time and pace which suits them. As well as being more convenient for the customer, the product has the added bonus of easing pressure on the in-house sales team, while also boosting sales and potentially cutting costs.

The flexible design delivers a quick and user-friendly process for people to either purchase memberships upfront or sign up to a direct debit. Customers can even simply register their details for pay-as-you-go, in order to benefit from online bookings.

Nor is Join@Home just a great way to attract new business: it also offers operators an easy way to manage membership renewals and upgrades for existing customers.

The software can be adapted to offer a personalised customer experience, look and feel that blends seamlessly with each operator’s website, while the fully responsive design means it works well and looks great on both mobiles and tablets – making it ideal for use with Gladstone’s smartphone app, MobilePro.

And although Join@Home is primarily for remote use, it can also be made available on site, meaning that even customers who come in to sign up can use it. The result? Even more reception time is freed up for customer care.

“The internet is now so prevalent in our everyday lives that many people expect to be able to run their lives online 24/7,” says Tom Withers, sales and marketing director for Gladstone. “With this in mind it’s imperative we offer our clients technologically advanced products, such as Join@Home, that allow their customers to do this.

“But it’s not only prospective members that benefit from Join@Home. By providing an additional sales channel that reduces rather than increases pressure on staff, the product has the potential to make a significant contribution to the success of any gym or leisure centre business, in terms of both customer service and the bottom line.”

TEL +44 (0)1491 201010?

WEB www.gladstonemrm.com

@gladstonemrm