“New Year, New Me” Day

Every New Year, everyone seems to be talking about resolutions.  New Year’s Day should really be called “New Year, New Me” Day.  Talk shows and magazines hawk the latest health and fitness trends, and there is the proverbial rush to join a new gym.

Here at Dstillery, we wanted to test the notion that gym-going increases measurably after the first of the year.  Are we all just overreacting when January rolls around and we find ourselves complaining about the line for the treadmill?

Our Process

Using mobile devices as a sensor, we observe the daily average number of unique visitors to popular gyms and boutique fitness studios across the country.  This is just one behavior captured amidst the billions of data points we observe daily.  We then compare those averages from the weeks before and after the New Year to understand patterns of behavioral change.

Our Findings

Gym visitation increased from December to January across the board – from general gyms to spin and pilates studios.  Folks are sticking to their resolutions!  (At least for the first few weeks.)

Barre class students showed the most modest growth from pre- to post-holidays, at 9%.  We might conjecture that they are the most dedicated and consistent of our workout enthusiasts.  They were followed closely by crossfit (11%) and yoga (14%) fans.

Overall, price proved to be the biggest motivator for getting more people in the door.  Gyms with lower price-points experienced the largest increase in visitation, at 22%.  Seems we all want to look and feel better, but on a budget.

Now whether we stick to our resolutions, only time will tell…

How does Dstillery use this kind of data to inform marketing programs?  Drop us a line and we’ll be happy to chat.