The secret to using gyms more often . . .

Apr 10, 2007

People who pay up-front for gym memberships may go to the gym less often than those who pay by fortnightly deductions, according to research by Associate Professor Sandra Jones from the University of Wollongong’s Centre for Health Behaviour and Communication Research.

The study, published in the current issue of the prestigious international journal, Marketing Theory, compared people who paid up-front for a year’s gym membership to those who signed a contract for a year’s membership but paid by fortnightly salary deductions. The results showed that those who paid up-front made only about half as many visits to the gym a month as those who paid by fortnightly salary-deduction instalments (five times a month compared to eight times a month).

Professor Jones said that the likely reason for this effect was that those who paid in instalments were reminded every fortnight of the real cost of missing a visit which encouraged them to attend.

“People look at their payslip and think to themselves -- ‘I paid $20 this fortnight and didn’t get anything for it,’ which motivates them to go to the gym more often and get their money’s worth but if they pay in advance it isn’t until they get the renewal bill at the end of the year that they realise how much money they’ve ‘wasted’ and by then they are out of the habit of exercising,” she said.

These findings have important implications for the promotion of physical activity. If frequency of attendance at the gym reflects people’s levels of physical activity it appears that method of payment can seriously affect people’s activity levels – in this study, at least, by up to 50%.

Professor Jones said: “I am not suggesting that facilities shouldn’t charge up-front fees, as these are often necessary to cover equipment and running costs but since we seem to be dealing with a reminder mechanism, up-front payers could be sent a regular reminder of the what the last month has, in effect, cost them and encouraging them to make full use of their membership.”

“These findings also have financial implications for proprietors of sporting facilities. In the short-term, encouraging members to pay up front may reduce attendance, and thus allow for more profitable use of facilities (in terms of both reduced wear and tear and the capacity to enrol more members with existing equipment).

“However, in the long-term, the likely impact is that if members look back on their year of poor attendance, they may decide not to rejoin the facility in the following year,” Professor Jones said.

For further information contact Associate Professor Sandra Jones on (02) 4221 5106 or 0402 848 743 (m).

For more information, contact:

media@uow.edu.au
University of Wollongong
Ph: (02) 4221 5942; fax (02) 4221 3128