All discussions took place virtually through June and July, during the first Covid-induced UK lockdown, leading to the production of the first, fully virtually driven ukactive supported White Paper.

The Acceleration of Digital Fitness: reconciling physical and virtual spaces, comprising three core sections: Assessing the impact of Covid-19 on the physical activity sector; Opportunities and challenges for digitalisation transformation and Responding to a changed consumer economy.

“Our industry has had the technological and digital capability to extend the member experience beyond the brick and mortar of our facilities for many years but we lacked the impetus to instigate change. Now we have been forced to act and we have done so with passion, enthusiasm and commitment. As a result, our offer will be much more resilient for the future,” says Ernst De Neef, CEO at FunXtion.

“Within our discussion groups there was an overwhelming belief that there will  remain a demand for physical training spaces in the market moving forwards. Consumers will now expect wraparound support but it is the sense of belonging and community driven by an in-person experience that has been the backbone of our success until now and this will continue to be our core strength moving forwards. The provision of a digital offer, enabling access to fitness content and coaching will become the new base level expectation but people will still crave the opportunity to train in a physical space.”

“The digitalisation of the fitness and leisure sector has accelerated five years in just five months. Operators who reaped the biggest benefits were those who had already established digital as a key component of their product offering,” said David Gerrish, Head of Digital Transformation at ukactive.

“This white paper is an important piece of thought leadership for businesses across the industry seeking to react to market trends and better meet the needs of their customers. It’s now up to the fitness industry to build on these insights to strengthen their brands and relationships with their members.”

The White Paper is available now for free download at: https://funxtion.com/ukactive_and_funxtion_white-paper/