The employed discussion guide (see Appendix 8.2.) consisted of nine questions, covering the proposed objectives of this study. The conducted focus groups helped to learn more about the characteristics and services that are important to and the benefits sought by female gymnasium members. Many similar themes emerged in both sessions, which largely echoed the findings of the previously undertaken secondary research.
In Focus Group 1, it was noted that there was a lot of energy in the room when discussing the importance of friendly staff as well as clean and working showers with the availability of hairdryers. This discussion group also raised some issues that had not been identified so far, including an easy to complete membership form and easy to understand packages as well as the ability to join a gym and complete a membership form online.
Similar to the first group, Focus Group 2 discussed at length the need for clean facilities, a wide range of exercise classes available and helpful and friendly staff members. However, they also emphasised the importance of privacy while exercising. Only two women in that group, aged in their twenties, mentioned that they visit their fitness centre for socialising purposes. Moreover, the cost of membership generated a great deal of discussion with women expressing a desire to pay per session with benefits for regular use rather than committing to lengthy memberships.
In summary, the focus groups elicited a broad spectrum of the target groups’ views, feelings and attitudes towards fitness centres as well as their preferred or desired characteristics and services.
Expert Interviews
Expert interviews or experience surveys are another exploratory technique used to informally gather opinions and insights from people, who are considered to be knowledgeable on a specific research topic (Hair, Bush & Ortinau 2003, p. 215). For this research study, different group members conducted two expert interviews with fitness centre employees, who provided essential information about the specific needs and wants of female gym members from an experienced managerial perspective. The interviewees were a male manager of a corporate gymnasium with more than ten years experience in the WA fitness sector and a female personal trainer at a city-based fitness centre, who has been working in the industry for about five years.
Both experts highlighted the importance of friendly, approachable and knowledgeable staff as key issues for clients, believing that it was extremely important that trainers were patient and genuinely interested in their members’ health. The male manager admitted that these are critical areas, in which his gyms have received complaints in the past. Moreover, the provision of hygienic, clean facilities and well-maintained equipment and showers featured highly in both expert interviews. Other factors proposed included the importance of drinking water fountains, clean towels and private changing rooms. The female personal trainer also mentioned the availability and adequate capacity of childcare facilities as service desired by female customers. In her opinion, women are often pushed for time and therefore value convenience and a fitness centre that is social and “a part of the community” they live in. Finally, both experts acknowledged the value of an extensive range of regular fitness classes, including step aerobics, body pump and weights. In addition, many women today are interested in yoga and pilates classes, which should ideally be included in the price of the membership, according to the corporate fitness centre manager.
Individual Depth Interviews
Individual depth interviews are relatively unstructured and undisguised one-on-ones, carried out face-to-face in a rather conversational manner. In contrast to descriptive research interviewing, there is no consistent line of questioning in an individual depth interview (Stevens et al. 1997, p. 56) and the direction is generally guided by the responses of the interviewee (McDaniel & Gates 2007, p. 149). Questions are open-ended and nondirective to maximise the opportunity for respondents to express their own thoughts and feelings (Arnould & Epp 2006, p. 58). The interviewer can probe answers by asking “can you tell me more?” or “would you elaborate on that, please?” and bases further questions on previous replies. It is important that the interviewer carefully listens in order to understand and properly interpret the answers given by the respondent (Hague 2002, p. 66). Depth interviews are a frequently used exploratory research method, as they increase the understanding of the issues faced by respondents and can reveal practices that were previously only assumed in the conceptual diagram.
For the research study at hand, three individual depth interviews were conducted with females in the specified target group. Although a predetermined questioning sequence is not required, the focus group guide was used as a basis and the interviews therefore flowed in the form of a guided conversation with recurring themes. Respondents again put forward cleanliness, friendly and approachable staff and the availability of shower cubicles with private changing areas as key issues. The expected services included personal training, child-care facilities and the opportunity to buy breakfast after early morning workouts.
Projective Techniques
Projective techniques, such as word association tests or sentence completion tests, were incorporated into both focus group discussions and individual interviews. They are designed to penetrate the respondents’ defence mechanisms and consequently obtain more information about their true feelings, attitudes or motivations, which they may not have divulged in a direct question (McDaniel & Gates 2007, p. 152). In word association tests, respondents are read or given a pre-selected set of words and asked to respond with the first word or thought that comes to their mind (Hair, Bush & Ortinau 2003, p. 216 and Tull & Hawkins 1993, pp. 452). Researchers then look for hidden meanings and associations between the responses and the original word being tested. Important keys to understand the underlying motives towards the subject are the response itself, the response time and the frequency of the response among the respondents (Stevens et al. 1997, p. 59).
In the study at hand, respondents were prompted with the words “exercise”, “health”, “fitness” and “fitness centre membership”, generating some interesting responses from different ends of the spectrum (see Table 1).
Table 1: Word Association Test Results
A further projective technique employed in the different exploratory research undertaken for this study was the sentence completion test, which is a development of the word association test. Respondents are furnished with a set of incomplete sentences and asked to complete each of them in their own words. As they put themselves in the role of an imaginary person, they do not have to directly associate themselves with their answer, which might result in more revealing responses (Tull & Hawkins 1993, pp. 454).
The participants of this study were asked to complete the sentences “women who join the gym are….”, “women enjoy exercising when….” and “a fitness centre is designed to…”. The positive and negative responses to the different sentences are listed in Table 2.
Table 2: Sentence Completion Test Results
The different exploratory research techniques employed in this study identified boosted self-confidence and improving one’s physical appearance or body image as main benefits sought by female gym members. It was widely recognised that it is important to stay fit and healthy and that being fit could and would enhance general wellbeing. Information about fitness centres was gained from a range of sources, including the Internet, word of mouth, shopping centre displays and community newspaper advertisements. In terms of location, most women wanted a fitness centre that was close to home, work or school so that they could drop off or pick up young children.
In summary, the exploratory research undertaken raised a range of issues about which fitness centre characteristics and services are important to female customers and how the target group views fitness centres in general, with both positive and negative connotations. The findings are also consistent with previously analysed secondary data indicating that women have reasonably high expectations when it comes to what they want in a membership. Hence, the information gained through the employed qualitative research methods helped to define the dimensions of the research problem more precisely and significantly contributed to the completion of the research variables summarised in the conceptual diagram (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Conceptual Diagram
What women want…from a gym (aged 20-40 years)
Benefits Sought
Weight loss
Health & fitness (in general)
Improve appearance
Reduce/compensate stress
Socialising aspect:
- Meet new people
- Meet colleagues
- Catch up with friends
Demographics
Age
Income
Work location/suburb
Employment status
Residence location/suburb
Single/in a relationship
Number of dependent children
Gym membership (or not)
Visits to the gym (how often, how long, time of day)
Payment & Contract Conditions:
Payment:
- Per session
- Weekly
- Fortnightly
- Monthly
- Quarterly
- Half-yearly
- Annually
Contract terms & conditions:
Membership registration form:
- user-friendly
- online
Length of contract:
- 6 months
- 12 months
- > 12 months
Benefits/incentives offered:
- freebies
- free month(s)
- discounts
Location
Near to home
Near to work
Near to transport
Near to shopping
centre
Gym Characteristics
Features:
Overall aesthetics
Size of gym
Female only gym
Group classes
Yoga and/or pilates offered
Free weights
Cardiovascular equipment
(treadmills, bikes, stepper)
Variety of exercise equipment
Relaxation area:
Pool / spa
Sauna
TVs / entertainment
Gym gear shop
Child / baby care facilities
Parking (free)
Café / refreshments
Remedial clinic
Nutritionist
Comprehensive brochure
Comfortable temperature
Services:
Personal trainers available Friendliness & knowledge
of staff
Maintenance of equipment Cleanliness of showers and equipment / hygiene
Times of classes
Towels provided
Opening hours
Quantitative Research
On the basis of the exploratory research findings and the identified research variables in the conceptual diagram, the research instrument could be specified and developed in detail. In contrast to qualitative research, quantitative research uses formalised standard questions and predetermined response options in questionnaires, which are administered to a larger sample of the target population (Hair, Bush & Ortinau 2003, 211). When designing questionnaires, it is essential to determine what information is needed and how individual questions should be framed, while considering whether the target respondents are able and willing to answer the questions (Malhotra 2006, p. 83-86). The survey questionnaire reflects the different categories of the conceptual diagram and was established using different scale formats, such as nominal, ordinal and interval scales. The data collection was conducted at several fitness centres and public places in different suburbs and socio-economic areas across Perth in order to include a wide range of views and opinions in the sample. Women were intercepted and had to qualify through a number of screening questions (e.g. gym membership and age). The surveys were then given to the respondents and filled out in the presence of an interviewer.
Research Instrument
The following types of scales in the final questionnaire enabled the researchers to determine what women want from a fitness centre:
- Nominal scale
- Ordinal scale
- Interval scale
Nominal Scale
The role of a nominal scale is to simply label objects (Burns and Bush 2006, p. 276), including designations as to gender, relationship status or income bracket. The nominal scale focuses on asking the respondent to tick a box. While a nominal scale can also include yes/no type questions, where 1=yes, 2=no, this option was not used as part of the survey. Even if the researchers had a percentage of ‘no’ votes, they would always be wondering why the respondents answered no and to what degree it was an outright ‘no’. Out of 11 question categories on the final questionnaire, 4 nominal scales were used. The first nominal scale that appeared on the questionnaire was to determine which fitness centre locations would be most convenient. The following options were identified from the conceptual diagram:
1=Close to home
2=Close to work,
3=Close to public transport
4=Close to a shopping centre
5=Close to school/college/university
The next nominal scale used was to determine if the respondent was single or in a relationship. The final two questions asking the respondent which suburb they work and live in also fit into the nominal scale category.
Ordinal Scale
An ordinal scale allows the respondent to rank-order the respondents or their responses with the higher the value assigned (Burns and Bush 2006, p. 276), the higher the category, i.e. personal annual income. Ordinal scales do not possess the distance or origin scale characteristic where distance demonstrates an absolute difference between objects and origin demonstrates that there is a particular starting point. Similar to the nominal scale detailed above, 4 out of our 11 question categories were ordinal scales and were used to determine:
- On average, how often the respondent visits a fitness centre:
- Less than once per week
- 1-2 times per week
- 3-4 times per week
- 5-6 times per week
- More than 6 times per week
- Which payment method does the respondent prefer:
- Per session
- Weekly
- Fortnightly
- Monthly
- Quarterly
- Half yearly
- Annually
- How many dependent children the respondent has:
- The personal annual income of the respondent:
- Less than $40,000
- $40,000 - $60,000
- $60,001 - $75,000
- $75,001+
The limitations of an ordinal scale are obvious. For example, if someone’s personal annual income is $110,000 or a respondent goes to a fitness centre 14 times per week, these more realistic responses will never be captured.
Interval Scale
Similar to the nominal and ordinal scales, the interval scale uniquely classifies but has an extra characteristic of having equal intervals. The interval scale focuses on permitting the respondent to rate the importance of specific attributes relating to a subject matter by asking them to circle a number. Interval scales are also more sensitive than dichotomous scales. The interval scale addresses a marketing research companies concern about ‘yes/no’ answers. Instead of asking a respondent – Do you find child-care facilities important: yes/no, the interval scale allows us to get a better picture by asking the respondent – How important are child-care facilities to you by using a scale 1-7, with 1 meaning ‘not at all’ and 7 meaning ‘a lot’.
Out of all 3 scales used in the questionnaire, the interval scale was used the least and only appears on 3 occasions out of 11.
The three question categories used for the interval scale were:
- Please rate how important the following Fitness Centre characteristics are to you
- Please rate how important the following Fitness Centre services are to you
- Please rate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements regarding exercising at a fitness centre
Each interval scale ranged from 1 to 7, with 1 denoting not important or strongly disagree and 7 denoting very important or strongly agree.
The scales used are original in their own right but closely based on Dave’s Crash Course, obviously using different questions and variables.
Pre-test and final questionnaire
The pre-test questionnaire was conducted among the unit research group, colleagues, college students, family, friends and the course lecturer.
Table 3: Pre-test and Final Questionnaire Format
Sampling
In the early stages of defining the scope of the research for fitness centres, the researchers decided that only females aged between 20-40 years would be surveyed. One of the reasons why females and not solely males or both genders were chosen is due to the recent opening of numerous ‘female only’ fitness centres in the Perth metropolitan area. The research group wanted to determine how important ‘female only’ fitness centres are to women as well as learning if they are a sound business initiative. Also, in terms of target marketing, the researchers wanted to learn what particularly women wanted from a fitness centre. The age range was chosen as it was seen to be the most marketable age group of women.
The Department of Local Government and Regional Development states that as at 2005, there was a population of 737,999 females living in the Perth metropolitan area. Of these 737,999 females, 213,593 are aged between 24-44 years (Western Australian State Government 2005). It is difficult to determine the exact population size of these women who have visited a fitness centre in the last year, but for the purposes of research, the sampling frame was 200 and women aged between 20-40 who visited a fitness centre in the last year were surveyed in the following locations:
- At different fitness centres across Perth (before a group class started or in the fitness centre café)
- Around the Curtin University Campus
- Among female work colleagues
While the sampling frame was 200, 210 questionnaires were collected to allow for any invalid questionnaires completed. Of the 210 collected, 204 were valid. Six questionnaires were discarded due to:
- Back page of questionnaire not completed
- Too many ‘4s’ (neutral) chosen on interval scales
- Some sections not completed at all
- Too many random questions not answered
The sampling method employed was non-probability sampling, specifically judgement sampling. This was the preferred sampling method for this survey as respondents were targeted specifically based on age, gender and approachability, and only those with an active opinion were selected. Non-probability sampling means that there is deliberately less chance of certain individuals being targeted (Burns and Bush 2006, p. 345), indicating that subjectivity enters in here, and certain members of the population will have a smaller chance of selection than will others.
This subjective approach means that responses were polarised to the extreme ends of the scale. This is due to the non-response of apathetic candidates. The researcher actively selects the most productive sample to answer the research question (Marshall 1996). As a result, there are fewer results along the median range of responses and although the overall average for each response may still be indicative of a broader sampling method, the individual extremes must be noted due to the biased subjective approach. Burns and Bush (2006, p. 145) state: “With a non-probability sampling method selection is not based on probability. Instead, a non-probability sample is based on an inherently biased selection process. Typically in order to reduce the cost of sampling.”
The danger of judgement sampling is that the selection is based on the subjective opinion of the researcher and the result may be skewed to that opinion. For example, in this survey, if the researcher predominantly targeted women with children, the results would obviously favour fitness centres with family oriented services. When multiple researchers are involved in a survey, this subjectivity can be hidden in the carried results, but should be considered when examining the results.
Results and Analysis
Descriptive Statistics
Descriptive statistics were used to describe the sample and show the means and frequencies of the results. In relation to the establishes research objectives, it is important to measure the central tendencies of responses to determine the most important characteristics, services and personal benefits that fitness centres offer to women aged 20-40, as well as the most convenient location, preferred method of payment and possible relationships within the demographic profile of the sample.
Inferential Statistics
Inferential statistics are used to make inferences or judgments about the bigger population on the basis of the sample, provided that the measure of error or significance level is less than 5 per cent. The following three types of inferential statistics were applied to fitness centre survey results.
Factor Analysis
The factor analysis is an inferential test that groups together similar variables to summarise the information contained in a large number of variables into smaller factors. It is also used to examine the resulting groups of variables or factors to identify different market segments. Factor analyses were conducted for the fitness centre features, services and benefits sought to group similar variables together and to identify different market segments.
Chi-Square Comparisons
Chi-square comparisons, which analyse the relationships between two ordinal or nominal variables, were used to determine if relationships exist between personal income and fitness centre location and fitness centre location and place of work.
One-Way ANOVA
One-way ANOVAs, or analyses of variance, were applied to determine if there are significant differences in the means of interval variables and between three or more nominal and ordinal groups. They were calculated for a range of potential relationships between fitness centre characteristics, services, benefits with personal income, number of dependent children, preferred payment methods and average weekly fitness centre visits.
Statistical Analysis - Research Objectives
Statistical Analysis - Research Objective 1
Question 1 was designed to address the first research objective and to determine what fitness centre characteristics were important for women aged 20-40, taking into account a variety of components and elements, including overall aesthetics, types of equipment, etc.
Respondents were asked to rate 21 characteristics on an interval scale of 1 (not important) to 7 (very important) and Figure 2 shows the mean score for each of the characteristics.
Figure 2: Fitness Centre Features Important to Women aged 20-40
The fitness centre features with the highest means were: comfortable temperature/air conditioning during exercise, free parking, wide ranges of exercise equipment and availability of group classes. These characteristics were deemed to be the most important features that women aged 20 to 40 wanted from a fitness centre. The features that were viewed as the least important, with the lowest means were female only members, fitness gear/clothing shop and reliable childcare facilities. This indicates that respondents preferred to exercise in a temperature-controlled, cool environment, mainly drove to fitness centres and valued having a variety of different exercise equipment and group classes. The least important statistics suggested that not many of the sample respondents had children, and are unlikely to attend a fitness centre that was female only or shop for exercise attire at their fitness centre.
A factor analysis was also used to determine the different market segments existing in the interval data for Question 1, based on fitness centre characteristics that respondents believed to be important. The results are shown in Table 4.
Table 4: Factor Analysis for Fitness Centre Features
Rotated Factor Matrix(a)
Extraction Method: Principal Axis Factoring.
Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization.
a Rotation converged in 8 iterations.
Six different market segments were apparent from the factor analysis. They were:
Factor 1: Fitness centre culture
Factor 2: Group classes
Factor 3: Variety of additional features
Factor 4: Family
Factor 5: Amenities
Factor 6: Food/Refreshments
Factor 1 contained characteristics based on the social atmosphere and fun culture of the fitness centre. Factor 2 grouped together yoga, pilates and other exercise classes although the “overall appearance” characteristic seemed out of place in this category. Factor 3 combined additional services that are not available at all fitness centres, but are bonus features, such as television screens and female only areas. Factor 4 related to family-friendly characteristics, although “comprehensive brochure” also seemed to be out of place in this factor. Factor 5 contained characteristics that are based on amenities such as parking, air conditioning and a variety of equipment that are viewed as more essential than the additional features in Factor 3 (as seen in the results of the descriptive statistics). Finally, Factor 6 combined food and refreshments available in the fitness centre.
The factor analysis showed that features could be classified into similar factors, which may be used for further research into the preferred features in different demographic groups. Factors 3 (additional features) and 4 (amenities) contained features that most respondents believed to be of high importance, for example, yet family features would most appeal to mothers and those engaging in family fitness. The factor analysis could also be linked to the results on the areas where respondents worked to find out which characteristics were most important in different geographical areas for targeted marketing campaigns. Further research could be conducted for a specific fitness centre to find out if these services are being met or ways to improve them.
Statistical Analysis - Research Objective 2
Question 2 was designed to address the second research objective and to determine what fitness centre services are important to women aged 20-40.
Respondents were this time asked to rate 14 statements on an interval scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 7(strongly agree) and Figure 3 shows the mean score for each statement.
Figure 3: Fitness Centre Services Important to Women aged 20-40
The descriptive statistics in Figure 3 show that the women in the sample placed a high importance on the services provided by a fitness centre. All services listed in the questionnaire scored a mean score of 4 or above.
The statistics indicate that the services respondents believed to be the most important were clean, functioning showers, clean and well-maintained exercise equipment and staff who are knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and who generally care about their clients’ health. This suggests that these services are the ones most frequently used by respondents and must be provided by fitness centres to meet the service expectations of their clients. The services with the lowest means were membership registration is available online, membership forms are user-friendly and clean towels provided. As joining a fitness centre membership occurs less frequently, usually on a one-off basis or during renewal of a contract, this finding is not surprising. The fact that clean towels were also seen as relatively unimportant may suggest that respondents prefer to bring their own towels when they work out.
A factor analysis was also conducted for Question 2 and the results are shown in Table 5.
Table 5: Factor Analysis for Fitness Centre Services
Rotated Factor Matrix(a)
Extraction Method: Principal Axis Factoring.
Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization.
a Rotation converged in 6 iterations.
The factor analysis indicates that four different market segments exist for services of fitness centres, including:
Factor 1: Membership
Factor 2: Staff
Factor 3: Showers
Factor 4: Equipment
Factor 1 combined all services relating specifically to membership, although clean towels appeared to be the anomaly in the group. Factor 2 grouped together all the staff services, while Factor 3 grouped together the quality and availability of showers and Factor 4 focused on exercise equipment. Factors 2, 3 and 4 were rated the most and marketing strategies based on these services are likely to have a greater positive impact on attracting female clients.
Statistical Analysis - Research Objective 3
Question 3 in the survey was designed to address the third research objective, determining what women aged 20-40 consider to be the most important personal benefits sought from a fitness centre membership.
Respondents were asked to rate 7 statements on an interval scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 7(strongly agree) and the mean scores of the different statements are shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4: Personal Benefits Sought from a Fitness Centre by Women aged 20-40
The descriptive statistics for Question 3 show that most women exercised for health and fitness reasons, to improve their physical appearance and to relieve stress. The majority of respondents did not agree with the statement that they exercised to socialise with people that they work with or to meet new people. Socialising appeared to be a low priority with the sample group. The main benefits sought by women aged 20-40 to visit a fitness centre were to maintain their health and improve their appearance.
The results of the conducted factor analysis for Question 3 are shown in Table 6.
Table 6: Factor Analysis for Personal Benefits Sought
Rotated Factor Matrix(a)
Extraction Method: Principal Axis Factoring.
Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization.
a Rotation converged in 4 iterations.
The factor analysis indicated that there are only three different market segments for personal benefits sought from visiting a fitness centre:
Factor 1: Social
Factor 2: Appearance
Factor 3: Health
Factor 1 grouped together social reasons, Factor 2 combined appearance reasons and Factor 3 amalgamated health reasons. These three factors are useful for fitness centres which want to promote their facility as being “social” or more functional in achieving health and fitness results. In the descriptive statistics, however, it was noted that women exercise at fitness centres for health and appearance reasons, representing an ideal market segment to target in an advertising campaign.
Demographic Profile of Respondents
To determine the demographic profile of our respondents, descriptive tests were used to find the highest frequencies for Questions 4 through to 7. Most of the respondents visited a fitness centre three to four times a week, indicating that respondents used the facilities at their fitness centre often and were quite dedicated to their exercise regime. The majority of respondents were in a relationship, worked and lived north of the river, and also earned less than $40,000. Most of the respondents did not have children, which may explain the child-care facilities ranking as an unimportant characteristic of a fitness centre. It is important to note that these results depict the demographic profile of our sample and on their own do not present any relationships; inferential tests must be made in order to determine if any relationships exist between individual data. These results are also indicative of the employed sampling techniques.
A summary of the descriptive research findings is shown in Table 7.
Table 7: Summary of Descriptive Statistics – Questions 4 to 7
Statistical Analysis - Research Objective 4
Question 4 asked survey respondents to consider the importance of the location of a fitness centre and to choose, on a nominal scale, which location was most important to them - proximity to home, work, school/college/university, public transport or a shopping centre. The results are shown in Table 8 and graphically in Figure 5.
Table 8: Descriptive Statistics for Question 4
Figure 5: Fitness Centre Location Convenience
The most convenient location of a fitness centre was close to home while the least convenient was those near a shopping centre. The location of a fitness centre is greatly influenced by its proximity to the respondents’ homes, rather than their workplaces. There may be a difference in where respondents live and where they work and their preference in a location of a fitness centre.
Chi square comparisons, which analyse ordinal and nominal data, were also used to determine if relationships existed between the respondents’ most convenient location and other demographic groups.
A chi-square comparison was conducted to determine if there is a relationship between the most convenient location for a fitness centre and a respondent’s personal income – the results are displayed in Table 9.
Table 9: Personal Income and Fitness Centre Location
The sig value for the chi square test for question 4 and 7C was 0.00. The chi square comparison indicated that, in terms of counts that were higher than expected for fitness centre visitors who earned over $40,000, a fitness centre close to work was the most preferred location. On the other hand, those who earned less than $40,000 preferred a fitness centre that was close to home or close to school/university/college. This may suggest that higher income earners may spend more time at work and may exercise during their lunch breaks or before and after work. Students who are typically of a lower income threshold are more likely to exercise at a fitness centre in their university or nearby to school/college.
A chi square comparison was also conducted to determine if there is a relationship between the most convenient location for a fitness centre and a respondent’s place of work -questions 4 and 7E - the results are displayed in Table 10.
Table 10: Fitness Centre Location and Place of Work
The sig value for the chi-square test for Question 4 and 7E was 0.02, indicated that a relationship existed between where respondents worked and the most convenient location of a fitness centre. The chi square comparison indicated that, in terms of counts that were higher than expected, respondents that did not work preferred a fitness centre close to home. Respondents who worked in the southern suburbs also preferred a fitness centre close to home. Conversely, women who worked in the northern suburbs preferred fitness centres that were close to their workplace and also close to public transport.
Statistical Analysis - Research Objective 5
Question 6 in the survey addressed this research objective to help determine what are the preferred style of payment and contractual conditions for a fitness centre membership for women aged 20-40.
Respondents were asked, using a 7-point ordinal scale, which payment method they preferred when using a fitness centre, ranging from paying per session to paying annually. The results are displayed in Figure 6.
Figure 6: Preferred Style of Payment for a Fitness Centre Membership
A descriptive test showed the most preferred payment method for surveyed fitness centre users were monthly, followed by fortnightly and per session. This may indicate ease of payment, since most respondents also visited a fitness centre three to four times a week and monthly payments may be more convenient. However, further research would be needed to test if payment methods are influenced by each other among different demographic profiles.
It may be useful to conduct further analysis to see if respondents were influenced by their income in which type of payment method was the most preferred.
Statistical Analysis - Research Objective 6
Questions 5 and 7a, 7b, 7c,7d and 7e were designed to investigate some of the demographic factors that influence women aged 20-40 to join a fitness centre and if different demographic groups have different expectations in return.
Question 5 asked respondents to chose on an ordinal scale, on average how often they visited a fitness centre from less than once per week to more than six times per week. The results are shown on Figure 7.
Figure 7: Fitness Centre Visits
Most of the respondents visited a fitness centre three to four times a week, this indicated that respondents used the facilities at their fitness centre often and were quite dedicated to their exercise regime. These results could be further analysed to see if income affected the number of visits to a fitness centre or if location also influenced the number of visits.
Question 7a asked women, on a nominal scale, if they were single or in a relationship and the results are displayed in Figure 8.
Figure 8: Relationship Status
The majority of respondents were in a relationship. These results could be cross-analysed to see if women in a relationship visited a fitness centre more often, or preferred to exercise with or without their partners.
Question 7b used an ordinal scale to ask how many dependent children a respondent had, and the results are depicted in Table 11 and graphically in Figure 9.
Table 11: Number of Dependent Children
Figure 9: Number of Dependent Children
Most of the respondents did not have any dependent children; this explains the low ranking of childcare facilities in the most important characteristics of a fitness centre. This may also influence the ability of women to visit a fitness centre more often.
Question 7c of the questionnaire asked respondents to use an ordinal scale to show their personal income before tax as shown in Table 12.
Table 12: Personal Income Before Tax
The majority of respondents in the sample earned less than $40,000; these results could be useful to compare to location and number of visits to the fitness centre.
Question 7d and 7e used nominal scales to find out where women taking the survey lived and worked (see Table 13 and Table 14).
Table 13: Respondents’ Home Location
Most of the respondents lived north of the river; as mentioned previously it would be interesting to determine if relationships existed between where respondents lived and the most convenient location of a fitness centre and the most important services and characteristics.
Table 14: Respondents’ Work Place Location
Most of the respondents worked in organisations north of the river. Further analysis could be conducted to determine if relationships existed between where respondents worked, the most convenient location of a fitness centre and the most important services and characteristics.
One-Way ANOVA Analysis
One-way ANOVAs, or analyses of variance, were applied to determine if there were significant differences in the means of interval variables in fitness centre features, services and benefits sought and questions using three or more nominal and ordinal groups, including 7c (Personal Annual Income) and 7b (Number of Dependent Children).
Fitness Centre Features and Personal Annual Income
Questions 1 and 7c
Figure 10: Means plot: Fitness Gear Clothing Shop/ Personal Income Before Tax
Figure 10 shows that there is a difference between women earning less than $40,000 and women earning more than $75,000 when rating the importance of having a fitness gear/clothing store at a fitness centre. Women in the lower income bracket rated it as more important than the women in the highest income bracket. The means for the two groups are 3.07 and 1.78 respectively. The difference noted, however, is not consistent with that noted in other income brackets suggesting that it could be due to the difference in the number of respondents in each pay bracket.
Figure 11: Means plot: Reliable Childcare Facilities/Personal Income Before Tax
The data in Figure 11 suggests that women earning less than $40,000 per annum place a higher importance on having reliable childcare facilities with the greatest difference between this group and women in the income bracket $60,000-$75,000. The pattern as seen above in Figure 11 is mostly linear. The strong trend suggests that income does play an important role in determining the features of fitness centres, which will appeal to women. It also may be indicative of the fact that some women with young children placing a high importance on childcare facilities, are in the lowest income bracket, because they work part-time.
Figure 12: Means plot: Health Conscious Cafe/Personal Income Before Tax
Figure 12 suggests that higher income earners place less importance on the inclusion of a health conscious café. The greatest difference falls between the less than $40,000 income bracket and more than $75,000 bracket with both income brackets in the middle having similar results. Women in the first group rated the café at a 4.26 average as opposed to the women in the highest income bracket rating the importance of a health conscious café at an average of 2.92.
Figure 13: Means plot: Remedial Clinic/Personal Income Before Tax
Figure 13 shows that women in the highest income bracket, who earn more than $75,000, rated the importance of a remedial clinic lowest compared to the three other income brackets, whose scores where very similar with no significant differences between them. Women earning more than $75,000, however, rated a remedial clinic at 1.85. The significant difference could be due to the lower sample size from this demographic as well as women earning above $75,000 may not have to time for a remedial clinic or already have those services offered by a separate company. However, further research would be need to determine why this income group voted significantly differently to the other three.
Figure 14: Means plot: Qualified Experienced Nutritionist/Personal Income Before Tax
Figure 14 shows that there is a significant difference between women earning above $75,000 and the other income brackets, when considering the importance of having a qualified/experienced nutritionist at a fitness centre with an average rating of 2.00. Women earning less than $40,000 rated the importance of a nutritionist the highest out of all the groups, voting it an average of 4.14, with women in the mid-income brackets rating the importance very similar to each other, 3.39 and 3.38 respectively.
Figure 15: Means plot: Family Fitness Programs/Personal Income Before Tax
Figure 15 shows that women in the lowest income group rated the inclusion of family fitness programs the highest out of the group of women surveyed, with a significant difference between this group and those earning more than $60,000 with an average vote of 3.51 compared to 2.3 for the higher income bracket groups. The trend seen in Figure 15 would suggest that women in the lower income brackets place greater importance on family fitness programs. This result can also be compared to that of childcare facilities, seen in Figure 11, which had very similar results.
Figure 16: Means plot: Fitness Centre Fun Culture/Personal Income Before Tax
Figure 16 shows that there is a significant difference between the income groups earning less than $40,000 and those earning more than $75,000 in their expectations that a fitness centre culture should be fun. The lowest income group rated fitness centre culture at an average of 5.24 compared to the highest income group, which rated at an average of 3.96.
Figure 17: Means plot: Fitness Centre is a Social Place/Personal Income Before Tax
Figure 17 shows a difference between income level related to the importance placed on whether or not a fitness centre is seen as a social place, but there does not appear to be a clear trend. Women earning less than $40,000 rated this the highest out of all the groups with an average rating of 5.16 followed by the group $60,000-$75,000 with 4.74, $40,000-$60,000 with 3.77 and finally more than $75,000 with 3.42. However, these results may be affected by the declining subject numbers in the higher income groups.
Fitness Centre Services and Personal Annual Income
Questions 2 and 7c
Figure 18: Means plot: Clean Towels Provided/Personal Income Before Tax
Figure 18 shows that there is a significant difference between the three lower income groups, compared to the more than $75,000 group. This data would suggest that the provision of clean towels may not be considered as an important service by the highest income group, but it is important to note that the dramatic difference may also be affected by the smaller sample size in the highest income group.
Figure 19: Means plot: User Friendly Registration Forms/Personal Income Before Tax
Figure 19 illustrates the significant difference between the highest income group when compared to the other three income brackets. The group rated it significantly less important with a 3.71 average. The group that rated this service the highest was women in the income bracket $60,000-$75,000 at an average of 5.16. The difference between this group and the more than $75,000 income bracket suggests that the significant difference may again be due to the small sample size in the high income bracket.
Figure 20: Means plot: Flexible Membership Terms/Personal Income Before Tax
Figure 20 illustrates a significant difference between women earning more than $75,000 and those who earn less, when rating the importance of flexible terms and conditions in a fitness centre membership, with an average rating of 4.89, backing the trend seen in the three lower income brackets, which all showed higher mean scores. This again may be due to the smaller number of respondents in this income bracket.
Figure 21: Means plot: Free Months Membership/Personal Income Before Tax
Figure 21 shows no specific trend relating to the importance of free months membership and income level. The groups that rated this the highest were the income level $60,001-$75,000 at an 5.96 average and the less than $40,000 income level group. This would suggest that these two groups place a high importance on free months as part of their fitness centre membership package, where as the middle to low income as well as the high income earners do not place the same level of importance on this service.
Figure 22: Means plot: Ongoing Incentives to Clients/ Personal Income Before Tax
Figure 22 shows the relationship between personal income and the value of ongoing incentives in fitness centre membership. Women in the income bracket $60,001-$75,000 rated this the highest on average at 6.09. The trend is similar to that shown in Figure 21, which suggests that the same groups who value free months membership also value the provision of ongoing incentives.
Fitness Centre Benefits and Personal Annual Income
Questions 3 and 7c
Figure 23: Means plot: Exercise to Meet New People/Personal Income Before Tax
There is a significant difference between the income level groups less than $40,000 and more than $75,000 in regards to whether or not they exercise to meet new people. The data collected would suggest that women in the lowest income group agree more with the statement that they exercise to meet new people rating it at 3.12 compared to women in the highest income group who would appear to disagree with this statement, rating it 1.96. The statistics in the middle-income groups would suggest that women in the lower middle-income level do not agree with the statement as much as the women in the middle to high income bracket. However, all the averages across the entire income span rated this statement lower than four, suggesting that exercise for any women aged 20-40 is not a time to meet new people and they do not hold this as a great importance.
Fitness Centre Features and Fitness Centre Visits
Questions 1 and 5
Figure 24: Means plot: Pilates Classes Offered/Fitness Centre Visits
Figure 24 shows that there is a significant difference between the number of times female respondents visit a fitness centre each week and the value they placed on pilates classes. Women who attended the fitness centre once or twice a week rated this at an average of 4.67 compared to women who exercise three to four times a week, rating this at 3.63 on average. This may suggest that some women may consistently attend a fitness centre once or twice a week specifically for pilates, whereas women who exercise more frequently are there to utilise other facilities, such as the exercise equipment.
The significant decline in mean rating by women who attend the fitness centre more than six times a week may be attributed to several factors, including the small sample size in this category and that women who attend this frequently are perhaps in serious training for an event, which requires them to use and value different fitness centre characteristics.
Figure 25: Means plot: Range of TV Programs/Fitness Centre Visits
Figure 25 shows that there is a significant difference between women who attend a fitness centre five to six times a week in comparison to women who attend less frequently and the rated value of diverse programming on the televisions. The first mentioned group rated this highest with an average rating of 5.68, which may be due to the amount of time spent at a fitness centre and the desire for a wide variety due to the frequency of their visits. Television programming in fitness centres is most often viewed by people utilising the equipment, rather than those taking group exercise classes, which may also contribute to why a diverse range of programs is desired.
Fitness Centre Benefits and Payment Method
Questions 3 and 6
Figure 26: Means plot: Method of Payment/Exercise to Improve Physical Appearance
Figure 26 shows that there is a significant difference between women who choose to pay per session compared to women who pay fortnightly and monthly to use a fitness centre in regards to exercising to improve their physical appearance. Women who prefer to pay per session rated improving ones physical appearance as a reason to go to a fitness centre lowest with an average of 4.72. This is compared to women who pay fortnightly with an average rating of 6.28 and women who pay monthly with a rating of 5.92. This may suggest that women who prefer to pay per session attend a fitness centre sporadically and therefore do not place as high an importance on improving their physical appearance. Women who choose to pay monthly, may attend more frequently and therefore do place a greater importance on exercising to improve their physical appearance.
Fitness Centre Features and Number of Dependent Children
Questions 1 and 7b
Figure 27: Means plot: Child Care Facilities/Number of Dependent Children
Figure 27 shows that there is a significant difference between women with children and women without when comparing the value they place on reliable childcare facilities. Women with children rated this characteristic highly at 5.25 compared to those without children rating it at 2.44. This would suggest that women who have children do attend fitness centres and do need and use reliable child-care facilities if they are offered by their gym.
Figure 28: Means plot: Health Conscious Café/Number of Dependent Children
Figure 28 shows that there is a significant difference between women who have one to two dependent children compared to women with no children in regards to the inclusion of a health conscious café provided by the fitness centre. Women with one to two children rated this characteristic higher, at 4.85, than women with more children, 4.00, and also women with no children, 3.68. While the average is not very high, the results still suggest that women with one to two children may perhaps like the inclusion of a health conscious café as part of the fitness centre, being a place to socialize after exercising, with the option of using reliable childcare facilities as mentioned previously.
Figure 29: Means plot: Family Fitness Programs/Number of Dependent Children
Figure 29 shows that women with dependent children rated this characteristic significantly higher than women without children, rating it at an average of 4.15 compared to 2.85 respectively. However, none of the figures suggest that this feature is very important to women in either group, compared with other fitness centre characteristics. Further research would be required to discover into what kind of family fitness programs would be valued and useful.
Fitness Centre Services and Number of Dependent Children
Questions 2 and 7b
Figure 30: Means plot: Importance of Personal Trainers/Number of Dep. Children
Figure 30 shows a significant difference between women who have no children and women who have one to two children in regards to the importance of having an experienced personal trainer. Women without children rated the importance of a personal trainer an average of 5.79 compared to women with one to two children who rated it at 4.75. Women with three or more children rated the importance of an experienced personal trainer the highest at 5.83. However, while the sample size of this final group is significantly smaller than the other groups, this result may suggest that women with more children who attend a fitness centre, desire a more one-on-one experience to help them reach their fitness goal, whereas women with less children may still prefer more social group classes.
Figure 31: Means plot: Maintenance of Equipment/Number of Dependent Children
Figure 31 shows that well-maintained equipment is more important for women without children. The mean scores suggest that women who do not have children utilise the fitness equipment often. This may be because women with children tend to take more group exercise classes.
Figure 32: Means plot: Flexible Membership Terms/Number of Dependent Children
Figure 32 shows a significant trend that women with children place less importance on a flexible membership contract. Women with one to two children rated this service at 5.15 and women with more than three children rated it lower at 4.33. This must be seen in comparison to women without children who rated this service as important at 5.86. Women without children may desire more flexibility in their membership to accommodate sudden lifestyle changes, whereas women with children do not seem to have the same need.
Summary of One-Way ANOVA Analysis
Fitness Centre Characteristics and Services
Women who attend a fitness centre once or twice a week appear to hold a greater importance on the availability of group fitness classes, in particular pilates, which they rated the highest out of the group. However, those who attended a fitness centre more frequently, three to four times a week, rated the availability of pilates classes lower. It would appear that women who attend group fitness classes, such as pilates, go often only once or twice a week. This would be beneficial to a fitness centre so that they only offer this class a couple of times a week, as the demand for daily classes is not given.
In regards to the variety of television programming available at a fitness centre, women who visit five to six times a week rated this feature very high. This may be due to the fact that they exercise comparatively often and would grow bored of the same programming each day. Women who visit a fitness centre less often consequently rated this characteristic lower. Another explanation as to why women who attend less often did not rate the variety of programming as high can be related to the previous conclusion. Women who visit a fitness centre once or twice a week often attend for group fitness classes which do not include television programming as a vital component, compared to women who utilise the equipment more and are exposed to the programming. It would appear to benefit a fitness centre, which caters for daily visits by its members, to offer a wide variety of programming so as not to bore their members with repeated programs.
Women with dependent children did place a greater importance on the inclusion of a reliable child-care facility at their fitness centre. This same group also valued the inclusion of a health conscious café as well as family fitness programs.
Payment Methods
Women who choose to pay per session place less importance on exercising to improve their physical appearance, which would suggest that they do not attend a fitness centre as frequently as women who chose to pay fortnightly or monthly. These women in turn do place great importance on exercising to improve their physical appearance and can therefore be expected to attend a fitness centre more frequently.
A fitness centre looking to entice members into paying fortnightly or monthly can target their marketing to promote the improvement of ones physical appearance. The same can work in reverse by asking potential members whether they intend to improve their physical appearance through exercising and if so, working with a fortnightly or monthly plan will probably appeal.
Demographics
Much of the results collected showed no significant difference between income levels and fitness centre characteristics, services and benefits sought. Those that did show a difference had appeared to have no distinct pattern between income level and what women wanted from a fitness centre.
Women in lower income brackets perhaps have more time to spend at a fitness centre and therefore place more importance on a variety of features. They also perhaps would not otherwise have the chance or go out of their way to visit these services if they were only available externally to a fitness centre. This is compared to women in higher income brackets who tend to spend a greater amount of time at work due to being full-time employed, which would suggest that visitation to a fitness centre is purely for physical exercise and not so much the social element which was held in higher regard with women from the lower income brackets.
In regards to the extra services and/or features offered by a fitness centre, such as a nutritionist and remedial clinic, women who are in the highest income bracket rated this not important. This may be due to the fact they visit a nutritionist or a remedial clinic separate to a fitness centre or, as mentioned earlier, do not have the time to visit or utilise such extra features.
A trend that was becoming apparent throughout this section was that women who were in the income bracket $60,001 to $75,000 appeared to rate free months membership as well as ongoing incentives very highly. This information may be useful for fitness centres looking to entice new members. While the lowest income group also rated this service highly, offering this kind of incentive to women in the middle to high-income group could prove beneficial to fitness centres. This same incentive according to the results would not be as successful or valued as highly by the very high-income level group.
Women with dependent children did place a greater importance on the inclusion of a reliable child-care facility at their fitness centres. This same group also valued the inclusion of a health conscious café as well as family fitness programs.
A fitness centre looking to target mothers with one to two young children would benefit by including and making known that they provide a safe reliable child-care facility, which would be convenient for mothers to drop off children while spending a couple of hours exercising. This service coupled with the provision of a health conscious café for mothers to continue socialising and relaxing a little longer while the children are being looked after could be appealing.
The inclusion of family fitness programs may be another characteristic worth considering for families looking to join a fitness centre. However, further research would need to be conducted so as to determine what this program should entail.
Women with one to two children place less importance on having a personal trainer in comparison to women without children and women with more than three. Fitness centres may look to target the promotion of personal trainers to these women, as they are more likely to consider this service as important.
Women without children also place a higher importance on the maintenance of the equipment and also flexibility of their membership in comparison to women with children. The lack of importance placed on the maintenance of the equipment by women with children would suggest that they do not use the equipment in a fitness centre as often as women without. Fitness centres may look to emphasise the up-keep of their equipment to potential female members without children, while focusing more on group classes for women with children. In regards to the membership, women without children want more flexibility in their memberships compared to women with children. This may be due to the lifestyles lead by the potential member. Packages which offer more flexibility to members may appeal to women without children, whereas packages that are less flexible but include free childcare facilities may appeal to women with children.
Summary of Other Results
Table 15: Summary of Results
The above table presents a summary of research objectives 1,2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. The results of research objective 1 indicated that the most important feature of a fitness centre was having comfortable temperature/air conditioning, while the least important was female only members. Female respondents prioritised comfort when exercising and were more likely to visit a mixed sex fitness centre.
Results for research objective 2 showed that the most important service offered by a fitness centre was showers that work. Other services that ranked highly were clean, well-maintained equipment and friendly, knowledgeable staff. Services seen as unimportant were membership-related, such as membership registration is available online and membership registration forms are user friendly. These services are used less frequently by fitness centre clients, which may explain their low importance amongst the surveyed respondents.
To address research objective 3, descriptive statistics were used to determine which personal benefits were most important to women visiting a fitness centre. Health and fitness reasons were believed to be the most important, whilst socialising with workmates ranked as the least important reason.
To determine research objective 4, the descriptive tests showed that the most convenient location for a fitness centre was close to home. However, on further analysis using SPSS, inferential statistics using chi square comparisons showed that relationships existed between most convenient location and where respondents worked and, also in relation to their personal income. Respondents that did not work and those that worked in the southern suburbs preferred a fitness centre close to home. Women who worked in the northern suburbs, however, preferred fitness centres that were close to their workplace and also close to public transport. Further research, using a larger sample, could be conducted to see if these relationships are strong patterns amongst women who use fitness centres.
A relationship was also found to exist between most preferred location and the personal income of female respondents. Respondents who earned over $40,000 preferred a fitness centre close to work, yet those who earned less than $40,000 preferred a fitness centre that was close to home or close to school/university/ college. This may indicate that high income earners possibly spend more time at work and prefer to exercise during their lunch breaks and/or before or after work. Lower income earners may mainly consist of students and are more likely to exercise at a fitness centre in their university or nearby to school/college. Further research could be conducted to see if this relationship exists in a larger sample and marketing strategies aimed towards different income earners could be implemented as a result.
Descriptive results also showed that for research objective 5, the most preferred method of payment was monthly. This is not very surprising, since most respondents also indicated that they visited a fitness centre three to four times a week and paying per session may thus be inconvenient.
Finally, the table also depicts a summary of the demographic profile of the respondents. Most respondents were in a relationship, earned less than $40,000 annually, lived and worked north of the river, had no dependent children, visited a fitness centre three to four times a week and preferred a fitness centre close to home. These results set the background information for research objective 6, to determine if relationships exist between different demographic groups in the surveyed sample.
Conclusion
The survey results at hand have addressed the six proposed research objectives. The researchers have determined which characteristics, services and personal benefits were most important to the target group, as well as the most convenient location, preferred form of payment and whether demographic factors influenced different service expectations of fitness centres.
The findings are also consistent with the analysed secondary and the previously conducted exploratory research indicating that women have reasonably high expectations when it comes to what they want in a fitness centre membership.
Descriptive statistics and measurement of central tendencies within the sample population showed that respondents generally had high expectations and placed particular value on the features and services that are provided by a fitness centre, including clean and functioning showers and well-maintained exercise equipment.
Women in the 20-40 years age bracket were also found to be more concerned with exercising to benefit their health and appearance and to reduce stress than they were for social reasons.
A factor analysis was conducted for questions 1,2 and 3 and found different target markets for fitness centre characteristics, services and benefits and the results indicated that amenities and additional features, staff, showers and equipment, and health and appearance were most important to the target group.
Chi-square comparisons indicated that personal income and work status influenced the preferred fitness centre location and One-way ANOVAs, found that the number of times women visit a fitness centre and whether they had children or not impacted on their expectations relating to services and features.
Recommendations
The following recommendation are based on the research objectives for this study.
Research Objective 1 - Features
Fitness centres should have comfortable temperature and air conditioning levels to ease the comfort of women during work outs. Yet, having female-only members or areas though are unnecessary for clients visiting mixed-sex gyms.
Research Objective 2 - Services
Female fitness centre members place a high value on services, such as clean, maintained showers and equipment and friendly, knowledgeable staff. These services should be prioritised. Having online membership registration and user friendly forms are not considered to be critical services.
Research Objective 3 – Benefits sought
Health and fitness reasons are the most important personal benefit sought by women in the 20-40 age bracket and adequate support should be provided to help them achieve their desired results.
Research Objective 4 - Location
Fitness centres close to home are very important and new fitness centres should ensure there is ample free parking nearby.
Research Objective 5 – Payment
Fitness centres should offer female clients monthly and fortnightly memberships, rather than asking members to pay by individual sessions.
Research Objective 6 – Demographics
Fitness centres should offer reliable childcare facilities and make sure group classes are available for women who have children.
Fitness centres should target additional services and features to suit frequent users of fitness centres and should consider a range of marketing strategies to capture more women members within a high-income group.
Fitness centres should consider more flexible membership terms and conditions as an incentive for women without children to join.
Further quantitative research should be conducted to test relationships within demographic groups by using focus groups and measuring their specific expectations and preferences before new marketing strategies are implemented.
Strengths of Research
Narrowing the age bracket of women included in the sample allowed for a very clear image of what women from this particular age segmentation wanted from fitness centres. By choosing women aged 20-40, this excluded other women who were not considered to be the majority of women attending fitness centres. Their inclusion may have altered the results due to a wide range of opinions held. This is a benefit considering the small scale of the research.
Weaknesses of Research
The conducted research may have been limited by the chosen sample frame. As many of the surveys were collected from a specific fitness centres list, this could have affected the distribution of where respondents were living and/or working. The fact that the majority of the surveys were collected in the CBD or from the northern suburbs, also had an effect on the research results. It is not reasonable from the study to infer that there are more fitness centres north of the river, nor can be concluded that there are differences between what respondents living north or south of the river want from a fitness centre. To enhance representativeness, future research should be limited to a particular fitness centre franchise and could compare the respondents in different regions. The sample size would have to include at least 500 or more respondents and be more random in the selection of individual fitness centres.
The times of the day that the surveys were collected may also have affected the representativeness of the study, as it is likely that those females visiting fitness centres in the evenings were employed full-time and those visiting during the day were either not working or students. A factor such as this can inadvertently affect the randomness of the sample and could also represent a valid reason why most of the surveyed respondents did not have children. This weakness can mainly be attributed to the limited time given to complete this study due to a strict academic calendar and the fact that the majority of members of this research group were full-time employed, thus surveying respondents after working hours.
Although the limited age bracket can also be considered a strength of the research, by not asking the specific age of each person limited the analysis and interpretation of the results. The spread of opinions regarding what women wanted from a fitness centre suggests that although the age bracket of this study was small, there may have been smaller sub-groups where age played an important factor in determining what they want from a fitness centre and knowing more specific ages, e.g. 20-25, 25-30, 30-35, 35-40, could have helped explain other relationships within the sample.
It is also important to note that many of those surveyed fell into very similar descriptive categories. For example the majority of the women surveyed earned under $40,000 per annum, which impacted on the results relating to personal income. It is likely that a sample containing a more even range of income groups in may have shown some different trends.
Further Research
There is a range of possibilities for future research to determine more specifically what women aged 20-40 want in a fitness centre membership.
While a high number of women in this sample, for example, mentioned that classes such as pilates were important, more research could be conducted to find out exactly what kinds of group exercise classes are wanted. This research should also encompass when the classes should be held, where and how often. This information would be useful to any fitness centre when considering what classes they should provide. The results would also be useful to evaluate the effectiveness of existing classes.
Family fitness programs did not rate as highly as some other elements contained in the questionnaire, but were favoured by women with children. Further research would need to be conducted to determine who specifically these women are and what demographic group they belong to. Also, information regarding the types of family programs to be offered would need to be analysed. Family fitness programs are not a common feature of fitness centres currently; however, this research may prove that there is a new market for this style of fitness program.
Future research should focus on the opinions of more specific age groups to help determine more specific market segments, which could be useful for businesses looking at targeting niche markets within the fitness industry and sample age group.
It could also be useful to refine the research to one geographical region due to differences between respondents living north of the river and those living south of the river, particularly for fitness centres who are only located in one of these geographic areas. In the chi-square comparisons, for example, it was discovered that female respondents living north of the river were more likely to value a fitness centre close to public transport that those living in the south. This may be due to the train services north of the river servicing a greater area than the southern railway lines. The new Perth to Mandurah railway line could possibly increase the accessibility of public transport in the southern suburbs and could perhaps eventually lead to more women preferring fitness centres close to public transport.
Having looked at the income and preferred membership options, it would also be interesting to find out which pricing plans and contracts are most attractive to women who visit fitness centres. The research study at hand did not specifically examine pricing plans as looking at these would require more specific questions within the design of the survey. The pricing payment and contract conditions of fitness centres could affect membership and could also be different amongst personal income groups.
Also, while most respondents in this study indicated that female-only members was an unimportant feature, the growth of fitness centres such as Curves, Contours and Fernwood women’s health clubs suggest that there are women who are attracted to female only gyms. It would be interesting to conduct research purely on women who visit these centres, why they are motivated to visit female only fitness centres and if their expectations of services and characteristics are different.
Outside the scope of the current project was also the possibility of measuring service quality and to find out if the service expectations that women demanded from fitness centres were being satisfied. For individual fitness centres, this research could prove to be useful, particularly in understanding what influences the attraction and retention rates of clients. Before such research could be undertaken, more exploratory research involving focus groups would need to be conducted in order to discover current satisfactory ratings amongst female fitness centre clients. A research project such as this would be most useful if applied to one fitness centre or franchise in particular.
Possible future research objectives could include:
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To determine which characteristics of a fitness centre women aged 20 to 40 living north of the river deem to be the most important.
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To determine which characteristics of a fitness centre women aged 20 to 40 living south of the river deem to be the most important.
- To determine whether price influences the fitness centre membership type that women aged 20 to 40 would join.
- To determine if service expectations are being adequately fulfilled by fitness centres with a female clientele.
- To determine the major motivating factors that influence women to visit a female only fitness centre.
The research at hand helps fitness centre managements to better understand what female clients expect from a fitness centre by providing a range of trends and it also indicates that, to be effective and competitive, managers of fitness centres should prioritise the particular needs of female clients. By responding to the needs of female clients, fitness centres can expect to have higher retention rates amongst their membership, meet service expectations of their clients and form better business-client relationships.
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Zest Health Clubs Limited. 2006. Submission 79. Senate Committee Inquiry into women and sport in Australia. 2006. About Time! Women in Sport and Recreation in Australia, Commonwealth of Australia, http://www.aph.gov.au/ senate/committee/ecita_ctte/womeninsport/submissions/sublist.htm (Accessed: March 27, 2007).
Appendices
QUESC Instrument - Desired Aspects of Service
Source: Afthinos, Theodorakis & Nassis 2005, p. 252
Focus Group Guide
Survey Questionnaire: What Women Want
We are surveying women aged 20-40 who have visited a fitness centre within the last year to find out their views about fitness centres. Your help in completing this questionnaire is much appreciated. Please be assured that all your responses are confidential and will not be linked to you in any way.
Map of Perth Suburbs
Scheffe Tables
Annual Income and Fitness Centre Characteristics
Multiple Comparisons
Scheffe
* The mean difference is significant at the .05 level.
Annual Income and Fitness Centre Services
Multiple Comparisons
Scheffe
* The mean difference is significant at the .05 level.
Benefits Sought and Payment Method
Multiple Comparisons
Scheffe
* The mean difference is significant at the .05 level.
Fitness Centre Characteristics and Frequency of Visits
Multiple Comparisons
Scheffe
* The mean difference is significant at the .05 level.
Fitness Centre Characteristics and Number of Children
Multiple Comparisons
Scheffe
* The mean difference is significant at the .05 level.
Fitness Centre Services and Number of Children
Multiple Comparisons
Scheffe
* The mean difference is significant at the .05 level.