Boutique Fitness is all the rage in Asia as several young, dynamic and passionate individuals are starting their own boutique fitness establishments. The market seems to be growing exponentially with renowned names such as Orangetheory Fitness, Barry’s Bootcamp and F45 continuing to expand globally.

It is estimated that the net revenue of the Asian fitness industry currently stands at approximately $8,240 million with a 6.9% YoY growth rate from 2019-2023. Such growth is unprecedented and can be attributed to several factors. In this article however, we will closely look at the 3 major trends which can be primarily attributed to the rise of this industry.

1. Influencer Marketing:

With the rise of social media, boutique fitness entrepreneurs in Asia seem to have taken the right approach as far as getting their brand name out there is concerned. Partnerships with famous influencers commanding a huge following has been key in the rise of popularity of such establishments. Crunch Fitness and 8Fit have been doing exceedingly well in this regard with huge following and engagement throughout their social media. And if you’re based in Hong Kong, why not partner local fitness influencers to widen your reach?

Here are some tips on how you might be able to put an influencer strategy into action and get new members: 

1. Find an influencer in your area with more than 2000 followers

2. Pitch your offerings to them through a personal message

3. Offer them a couple of free classes, training programs 

4. In exchange, get them to post an agreed number of posts about their experience 

5. Promote their posts on your own social media platforms

Right here in Hong Kong, a few fitness influencers come to mind: 

Chloe Sung runs her own lifestyle development gym in Hong Kong and conducts body sculpting classes as a fitness trainer herself.

Tina Lynn C. is a triathlete and a mom of 2 kids! She exudes a down-to-earth and positive vibe in her social profile.

Maxine Chan is a fitness and yoga enthusiast based in Hong Kong. She shares actively about her home workouts and endorses local athleisure brands, making her a great profile to work with!

You should work with different influencers and measure the effectiveness of your campaigns. Who knows, if you find someone with the right qualifications and personality, you could even hire them onto the team! 

2. Member Personalization:

One of the most sought after selling points of the boutique fitness industry is the focus on personalisation of experience. Members feel a sense of belonging, care and comfort in being tended to personally and being listened to. It is this kind of treatment that translates to happy members, which in turn creates a positive word of mouth effect and an enhanced brand image.

3. Creating a community & FOMO:

This one is unique to the boutique fitness industry. With clever use of social media and elaborate fitness plans, boutique fitness establishments have succeeded in creating a Fear of Missing Out among the people. More and more people join them wanting to learn new skills, engage in activities they haven’t done before and be part of a larger community. A study deduced that 95% of those who began a weight-loss program with friends finished the program, compared to a 76% completion rate for those who attended the program alone. The friend group was also 42% more likely to maintain their weight loss progress. Group memberships are also quite popular among gyms which goes to show that people prefer engaging in fitness activities with their peers and boutique fitness gyms have done a great job in attracting such peer groups.