Investigating the marketing strategies of the health and fitness sector in Greece; the managers' perspective (Investigar las estrategias de marketing del sector de la salud y el fitness en Grecia; la perspectiva de los gerentes)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v43i0.88880Keywords:
fitness sector, marketing, customer attraction, customer retention, (sector fitness, marketing, atracción de clientes, retención de clientes)Abstract
The health and fitness sector is systematically growing worldwide and is considered a vibrant business area shaped by many innovations while showing great potential for professional development and marketing strategies. In Greece, low-cost and budget gyms as well as boutique fitness studios emerged as a popular business model among health club operators demonstrating a remarkable increase nationwide following the global fitness industry trends. However, previous research focusing on implementing marketing strategies to attract and retain customers in the Greek fitness industry is scarce. The primary aim of the present study was to investigate: i) which are the marketing strategies implemented in order to attract and retain customers, ii) whether these marketing actions are differentiated depending on whether: a) the fitness companies are multipurpose gyms, boutique/personal training studios or CrossFit-like clubs and b) they operate in metropolitan areas (e.g., Athens and Thessaloniki) or in the province of Greece. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between May 15 and June 5, 2020. The questionnaire used a 4-point Likert scale and was validated internally as required. A total of 631 questionnaires were collected corresponding approximately to 25% of all companies operating in the fitness sector nationwide. Results showed that promotion through social media was the primary customer attraction action. Attractive prices as well as frequent equipment renewal and facilities’ renovation/maintenance were the most popular members’ retention strategies. Top marketing attraction and retention strategies were mediated by the different fitness centers’ business type and location. Much needs to be done in order for the fitness industry in Greece to grow in terms of marketing.
Resumen. El fitness sector está creciendo sistemáticamente en todo el mundo y se considera un área comercial vibrante formada por muchas innovaciones, al tiempo que muestra un gran potencial para el desarrollo profesional y las estrategias de marketing. En Grecia, los gimnasios económicos, así como los estudios de boutique fitness, emergen recientemente como un modelo comercial popular entre los operadores de fitness clubes, lo que demuestra un aumento notable en todo el país siguiendo las tendencias mundiales de la industria del fitness. Sin embargo, la investigación previa centrada en las estrategias de marketing para atraer y retener clientes en la industria griega del fitness es escasa. El objetivo principal del presente estudio fue investigar si las estrategias de marketing implementadas se diferencian en función de si: a) las empresas de fitness son gimnasios polivalentes, estudios boutique/de entrenamiento personal o clubes tipo CrossFit y b) operan en áreas metropolitanas (Atenas y Salónica) o en la provincia de Grecia. Se realizó una encuesta transversal en línea entre el 15 de mayo y el 5 de junio de 2020. El cuestionario utilizó una escala Likert de 4 puntos y se validó internamente según se requirió. Se recogieron un total de 631 cuestionarios correspondientes aproximadamente al 25% de todas las empresas que operan en el sector del fitness a nivel nacional. Los resultados mostraron que la promoción a través de las redes sociales fue la principal acción de atracción de clientes. Los precios atractivos, así como la renovación frecuente de equipos y la renovación /mantenimiento de las instalaciones fueron las estrategias de retención de miembros más populares. Las principales estrategias de atracción y retención de marketing fueron mediadas por el tipo de negocio y la ubicación de los diferentes centros de fitness Queda mucho por hacer para que la industria del fitness en Grecia crezca en términos de marketing.
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