Get HCM digital magazine and ezines FREE
Sign up here ▸
Jobs   News   Features   Products   Magazine      Advertise  
Tech series
Need an app?

With Millennials viewing their smartphones as an extension of themselves, apps are becoming less of a nice-to-have and more of a must-have. But who can health club operators turn to if they want to create an app for their members? Kath Hudson reports

By Kath Hudson | Published in Health Club Management 2016 issue 11




Alex Peacock VP international Netpulse

 

Alex Peacock
 

Netpulse offers white-labelled apps which can be launched with the club’s own branding and user interface in under six weeks. We’ve invested heavily to ensure our platform can integrate with all member management software, fitness equipment and wearable devices, offering clubs maximum flexibility.

We work with thousands of health clubs worldwide, from single sites to some of the largest fitness operators in the world including 24 Hour Fitness, Planet Fitness, Orangetheory, DW Sports, Nuffield Health and énergie Fitness.

Netpulse is a SaaS (software-as-a-service) product, so clubs can pick the features that are right for them without paying any upfront development costs – just a monthly licence fee for the app as a fully managed service. Clubs wanting to build their own unique features can just add them on top of the standard platform. Packages for individual club operators start from £200 a month.

We’ve seen clubs triple their referrals by having a quick, frictionless way of referring friends digitally. Another powerful advantage is that, because mobile devices are location-aware, your app will know when members are in the club and will be able to send them targeted push messages based on their behaviour.




Tim Williams Business development Innovatise

 

Tim Williams
 

Innovatise launched myFitApp in 2010. An off-the-shelf, customisable app, it has broad functionality including easy updates for news and the option for members to share information on social media and recommend friends. It can also market to users based on their location.

Depending on requirements, it typically costs a few thousand pounds to set up the apps and then around £100 per site, per month, for multi-site operators to run them. It’s well worth the investment, because an app can play a major role in retention, branding, new member acquisition, new revenue sources and building and monetising an audience.

Our customers are worldwide but mostly in the UK, US and Europe. We have over 330 sites in the UK using Innovatise technology with over 250,000 downloads.




Hugo Braam CEO Virtuagym

 

Hugo Braam
 

Virtuagym started out as a consumer app, so our system has been designed for ease of use.

We offer seven software solutions in one integrated offering, for which the apps serve as a mobile interface: membership management and billing, access control, point of sale, scheduling, nutrition coaching, exercise prescription and an online community.

But an app must be aligned with the goals and needs of the business: clubs should ask themselves what their members need and expect from the app and how it could improve the customer journey.

With that in mind, alongside our default app options, we can also customise the experience like we did for Dutch gym chain Trainmore. Trainmore has a great business model that rewards people who go to the gym more often, by discounting their membership based on how regularly they attend. Trainmore clients can see how much discount they’re getting in real time thanks to a discount tracker in our mobile app.

We call our license model ‘pay-as-you-grow’, which means smaller businesses pay less than larger ones. A trainer can offer a branded app experience from €39 a month. Clubs typically pay around €150 to €250 for our full solution, depending on size and modules used.




Antony Davies National sales manager Gladstone

 

Antony Davies
 

The Mobile Pro app can be bespoke branded for the club and enables customers to book and pay for classes in real time. Easily managed via the web cockpit, it includes a full schedule module, with opening hours and class timetable.

Soon to be released will be a news feature with push notification functionality, which will allow an operator to publish a news article and send to all members in less than a minute.

Members can tag favourites and share bookings, news and information across social media platforms, and the ‘refer a friend’ lead generation module allows operators to promote offers to members in return for referrals.

When The University of Portsmouth launched the app across its three leisure centres, it saw a dramatic boost in online transactions and a drastic drop-off in phone call bookings, freeing up its customer service team for other duties. Class bookings are the most popular use, accounting for 64 per cent of hits.




Paul Bowman CEO Wexer

 

Paul Bowman
 

The success of a fitness-focused app lies in its ability to track everything in one place, and then extract meaningful insights. We work hand-in-hand with clubs to ensure the app is integrated into their digital ecosystem. The Wexer app is also compatible with Apple Health and Google Fit, so integrates with any health or fitness app linked to these platforms.

Our app has been designed to engage members and encourage behaviour change. For example, members can live-stream group exercise classes from the gym to their mobile device, allowing them to take part wherever they are. They can also create personalised workouts based on factors such as skill level, equipment availability and workout length.

For members who require feedback, there are a number of ways clubs can celebrate success, one of which is through the ‘challenges and leaderboards’ feature.


It’s possible to live-stream classes from the gym to people’s mobiles
It’s possible to live-stream classes from the gym to people’s mobiles / PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
FEATURED SUPPLIERS

Cornerstone Connect helps Active Blackpool tackle health inequalities
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]

Legends never die: four legends, four philosophies of life
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers  
COMPANY PROFILES
The Fitness Group Education

The Fitness Group provides education and workforce development for learners and fitness operators. [more...]
Serco Leisure

Serco Leisure Operating Limited is one of the UK’s leading national operators of leisure centres, de [more...]
+ More profiles  
CATALOGUE GALLERY
 
+ More catalogues  

DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
DIARY

 

23-26 Aug 2026

Elevate Spa Riviera Maya Edition

The Riviera Maya Edition Kanai, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
10-12 Sep 2026

ASEAN Patio Pool Spa Expo 2026

MITEC Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia, Malaysia
+ More diary  
 
ABOUT LEISURE MEDIA
LEISURE MEDIA MAGAZINES
LEISURE MEDIA HANDBOOKS
LEISURE MEDIA WEBSITES
LEISURE MEDIA PRODUCT SEARCH
 
HCM
LEISURE OPPORTUNITIES
HEALTH CLUB HANDBOOK
PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS
FREE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS
ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

Leisure Media
Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2026
Get HCM digital magazine and ezines FREE
Sign up here ▸
Jobs    News   Products   Magazine
Tech series
Need an app?

With Millennials viewing their smartphones as an extension of themselves, apps are becoming less of a nice-to-have and more of a must-have. But who can health club operators turn to if they want to create an app for their members? Kath Hudson reports

By Kath Hudson | Published in Health Club Management 2016 issue 11




Alex Peacock VP international Netpulse

 

Alex Peacock
 

Netpulse offers white-labelled apps which can be launched with the club’s own branding and user interface in under six weeks. We’ve invested heavily to ensure our platform can integrate with all member management software, fitness equipment and wearable devices, offering clubs maximum flexibility.

We work with thousands of health clubs worldwide, from single sites to some of the largest fitness operators in the world including 24 Hour Fitness, Planet Fitness, Orangetheory, DW Sports, Nuffield Health and énergie Fitness.

Netpulse is a SaaS (software-as-a-service) product, so clubs can pick the features that are right for them without paying any upfront development costs – just a monthly licence fee for the app as a fully managed service. Clubs wanting to build their own unique features can just add them on top of the standard platform. Packages for individual club operators start from £200 a month.

We’ve seen clubs triple their referrals by having a quick, frictionless way of referring friends digitally. Another powerful advantage is that, because mobile devices are location-aware, your app will know when members are in the club and will be able to send them targeted push messages based on their behaviour.




Tim Williams Business development Innovatise

 

Tim Williams
 

Innovatise launched myFitApp in 2010. An off-the-shelf, customisable app, it has broad functionality including easy updates for news and the option for members to share information on social media and recommend friends. It can also market to users based on their location.

Depending on requirements, it typically costs a few thousand pounds to set up the apps and then around £100 per site, per month, for multi-site operators to run them. It’s well worth the investment, because an app can play a major role in retention, branding, new member acquisition, new revenue sources and building and monetising an audience.

Our customers are worldwide but mostly in the UK, US and Europe. We have over 330 sites in the UK using Innovatise technology with over 250,000 downloads.




Hugo Braam CEO Virtuagym

 

Hugo Braam
 

Virtuagym started out as a consumer app, so our system has been designed for ease of use.

We offer seven software solutions in one integrated offering, for which the apps serve as a mobile interface: membership management and billing, access control, point of sale, scheduling, nutrition coaching, exercise prescription and an online community.

But an app must be aligned with the goals and needs of the business: clubs should ask themselves what their members need and expect from the app and how it could improve the customer journey.

With that in mind, alongside our default app options, we can also customise the experience like we did for Dutch gym chain Trainmore. Trainmore has a great business model that rewards people who go to the gym more often, by discounting their membership based on how regularly they attend. Trainmore clients can see how much discount they’re getting in real time thanks to a discount tracker in our mobile app.

We call our license model ‘pay-as-you-grow’, which means smaller businesses pay less than larger ones. A trainer can offer a branded app experience from €39 a month. Clubs typically pay around €150 to €250 for our full solution, depending on size and modules used.




Antony Davies National sales manager Gladstone

 

Antony Davies
 

The Mobile Pro app can be bespoke branded for the club and enables customers to book and pay for classes in real time. Easily managed via the web cockpit, it includes a full schedule module, with opening hours and class timetable.

Soon to be released will be a news feature with push notification functionality, which will allow an operator to publish a news article and send to all members in less than a minute.

Members can tag favourites and share bookings, news and information across social media platforms, and the ‘refer a friend’ lead generation module allows operators to promote offers to members in return for referrals.

When The University of Portsmouth launched the app across its three leisure centres, it saw a dramatic boost in online transactions and a drastic drop-off in phone call bookings, freeing up its customer service team for other duties. Class bookings are the most popular use, accounting for 64 per cent of hits.




Paul Bowman CEO Wexer

 

Paul Bowman
 

The success of a fitness-focused app lies in its ability to track everything in one place, and then extract meaningful insights. We work hand-in-hand with clubs to ensure the app is integrated into their digital ecosystem. The Wexer app is also compatible with Apple Health and Google Fit, so integrates with any health or fitness app linked to these platforms.

Our app has been designed to engage members and encourage behaviour change. For example, members can live-stream group exercise classes from the gym to their mobile device, allowing them to take part wherever they are. They can also create personalised workouts based on factors such as skill level, equipment availability and workout length.

For members who require feedback, there are a number of ways clubs can celebrate success, one of which is through the ‘challenges and leaderboards’ feature.


It’s possible to live-stream classes from the gym to people’s mobiles
It’s possible to live-stream classes from the gym to people’s mobiles / PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
LATEST NEWS
UK updates physical activity guidelines with focus on daily movement
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
Places Leisure is working with Roberts Limbrick to build £60m wellness flagship in Basingstoke
Places Leisure has exchanged contracts to build and operate a flagship £60m water and leisure destination on behalf of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
PureGym announces expansion into Ireland
The Republic of Ireland will become the latest market in PureGym’s expanding international portfolio, with the first launch planned for Dublin in 2027.
Total Fitness CEO Sophie Lawler launches leadership coaching venture
Sophie Lawler, CEO of Total Fitness, has launched a leadership coaching business aimed at helping women realise their professional potential.
Anytime Fitness targets Europe after opening a club a day in 2025
Anytime Fitness opened more than one club a day in 2025 and is on track to maintain this rate of growth this year, as parent company Purpose Brands targets further international expansion.
Everyone Active opens £33.9 million next-generation leisure and wellbeing hub
The £33.9 million Leighton Leisure and Community Centre has opened in Leighton Buzzard, UK, creating a next-generation public leisure, health and wellbeing hub for the local community.
YogaSix responds to Pilates boom with launch of strength-focused Y6 Core class
YogaSix, the yoga brand of Xponential Fitness, has launched a heated, Pilates-inspired class called Y6 Core.
Bromley’s £17m Walnuts revamp adds EGYM, rehab and recovery
Walnuts Leisure Centre in Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley, has reopened following a £17m transformation designed to secure the long-term future of the public leisure asset and reposition it as a community wellbeing hub.
The Gym Group breaks the million members mark for the first time
The Gym Group, has announced that it's sustained positive trading momentum has continued through the first half of 2026 and the company remains confident about the outlook.
Hyrox offers charity spots in sold-out races
Hyrox has announced it will be working with a second charity in the upcoming season and offering charity spots in sold-out races.
Amped Fitness debuts Amped Universe flagship
US low-cost operator, Amped Fitness, has launched a flagship location in Texas, debuting its multi-sensory Amped Universe design architecture.
X-Club gears up to open its flagship site in central London
Luxury boutique Pilates and wellness studio, X-Club, officially launches a 4,000sq ft flagship at Marylebone on 16 July Built around X-Club’s four pillars of wellness – mind, movement, nutrition and therapy – the facility features two group exercise studi
+ More news   
 
FEATURED SUPPLIERS

Cornerstone Connect helps Active Blackpool tackle health inequalities
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]

Legends never die: four legends, four philosophies of life
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers  
COMPANY PROFILES
The Fitness Group Education

The Fitness Group provides education and workforce development for learners and fitness operators. [more...]
+ More profiles  
CATALOGUE GALLERY
+ More catalogues  

DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
DIARY

 

23-26 Aug 2026

Elevate Spa Riviera Maya Edition

The Riviera Maya Edition Kanai, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
10-12 Sep 2026

ASEAN Patio Pool Spa Expo 2026

MITEC Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia, Malaysia
+ More diary  
 


ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

Leisure Media
Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2026

ABOUT LEISURE MEDIA
LEISURE MEDIA MAGAZINES
LEISURE MEDIA HANDBOOKS
LEISURE MEDIA WEBSITES
LEISURE MEDIA PRODUCT SEARCH
PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS
FREE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS