All we ask is for you (our primary concern) to fill out this brief questionnaire and then mail it back in the return envelope included, free of charge. In thanks for doing this, Fitness House Gym will provide 50 random entries with the choice between a six month subscription to the future gym, or a Fitness House Gym all weather jacket.
Through this questionnaire, we hope to grasp a better understanding on the community as a whole along with your personal wants for a new gym center. Please answer the questions provided as truthfully as you can as only then will we be able to provide the best service possible.
Please note that information written on this survey will not be sold to any third party companies. Fitness House holds great pride over its means of confidentiality in regards to persons privacy.
Christian name: _______________________
Sir name: ____________________________
Gender:
Male
Female
How old are you?
How do you feel about the following statements?
“The Gym’s in my area fulfill my standards; there is nothing wrong with them.”
“I do not mind where the gym is located; I do not mind driving a long way in order to go to a gym.”
How much do you spend on fitness / gym’s every year?
What piece of equipment do you use the most at a gym?
What room do you use the most at a gym?
Out of the following five locations, which one would you like the Gym to be situated at the most?
Out of the following, which do you read / view the most?
Out of the following, which do you listen to / watch / use the most?
Where would you ideally like the Fitness House Gym to be situated?
Why?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This is the end of the questionnaire, thank you for participating. Please mail these pages in the included envelope to:
#02-423
79 Portman Road
Singapore
G23 RU66
The mail is free of charge, no need to buy a stamp!
Conclusion from Pilot Questionnaire:
After giving this questionnaire out to five people that were found in a gym and therefore likely to be similar to the target audience, I received some results. From these results I came to the following conclusions about several issues that had been raised from the questionnaire:
- That I should add in another option for the “agree or disagree” question as there were 4 options to agree with the question in varying intensities and only one option to disagree.
- That I should perhaps add some straightforward ‘yes’ and ‘no’ questions at the start of the questionnaire.
- That I should add (at least) one more question towards the end of the questionnaire that asked the consumer’s opinion.
- To be more specific and ask the individual radio stations or TV channels that people watch, in order to get an idea of where to advertise the business
- That perhaps I should review the costs question (how much do you spend per year) as most people who go to a gym spend much more than that.
- That I should ask what time people like to go to the gym. (in order to get an idea of what times are likely to be the busiest)
- If there would be anything that would encourage people to come to the gym. (i.e. family memberships or social activities like aerobics)
- And also to ask people about how feel about promoting the gym for rewards (i.e. free subscription) in order to get new people to sign up
After reading these comments I made changes and came up with the final version of the Fitness House Gym questionnaire that can be seen on the next page.
Final Questionnaire:
Fitness House Gym Questionnaire
Thank you for taking the time to read this questionnaire!
All we ask is for you (our primary concern) to fill out this brief questionnaire and then mail it back in the return envelope included, free of charge. In thanks for doing this, Fitness House Gym will provide 50 random entries with the choice between a six month subscription to the future gym, or a Fitness House Gym all weather jacket.
Through this questionnaire, we hope to grasp a better understanding on the community as a whole along with your personal wants for a new gym center. Please answer the questions provided as truthfully as you can as only then will we be able to provide the best service possible.
Please note that information written on this survey will not be sold to any third party companies. Fitness House holds great pride over its means of confidentiality in regards to persons privacy.
The directions in red will tell you how to answer the questions. In most cases it will be self explanatory, but the directions will inform you of how many boxes you are supposed to fill out.
For the next questions, please tick only one box.
Christian name: _______________________
Sir name: ____________________________
Gender:
Male
Female
How old are you?
Do you think you are paying too much for a Gym in your area?
Yes
No
Do you think you are traveling too far to get to your local Gym?
Yes
No
How do you feel about the following statements?
“The Gym’s in my area fulfill my standards; there is nothing wrong with them.”
“I do not mind where the gym is located; I do not mind driving a long way in order to go to a gym.”
How much do you spend on fitness / gym’s every month?
For the next questions, you may tick more than one box.
What piece of equipment do you use the most at a gym?
What room do you use the most at a gym?
For the next question, please tick only one box.
Out of the following five locations, which one would you like the Gym to be situated at the most?
For the next questions, you may tick more than one box.
Which of the following newspapers do you read?
Which of the following types of magazines do you read?
Which of the following channels do you watch?
Which of the following radio stations do you listen to the most?
What time (if any) do you normally go to the gym?
Where would you ideally like the Fitness House Gym to be situated?
Why?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Is there anything that you would like to see at the gym? (e.g. a restaurant, social activities (such as aerobics or organized cycling) or even hiring professional trainers to coach you)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This is the end of the questionnaire, thank you for participating.
Conclusion of Final Questionnaire:
I gave this final version of the questionnaire out to 50 people in order to get a large amount of results that are relatively varied and should provide me with enough data to set up a gym that successfully fulfills the public’s needs.
From this questionnaire, I have learned:
- How much people expect to pay for a new gym in their area
- What equipment they want
- What (if any) incentives are needed or wanted to encourage people to join
- What facilities customers want
- Where (what location) they want the gym
- What time they will use the gym
- And where to advertise to get more customers in the future
These factors are important because without these basic facts, I would not be able to anticipate for any of the demands of the customers, or what services to provide in the gym. This is why it was necessary to learn this information.
Also as an alternative to questionnaires, I could have gathered my market research through phone surveys, interviews, or consumer panels. Whilst these methods would also provide similar results, they would take longer or cost more, so I have not focused in so much depth on these aspects. This is why instead, I produced a questionnaire.
Also, it must be noted that if this was a real business, it is likely that more than 50 questionnaires would be given out because in most cases under half of those given out are actually returned.
Alternative Research:
As another method of research, I traveled to a sports shop in Orchard Road (one of the key shopping points in Singapore) in order to ask the shop owner some questions about the business. From the brief interview and my own observations I gathered several more important points about the sports business in general.
The name of the shop was Adidas Sports, and whilst it was named after the brand, it also sold other types of sporting wear. The shop focused on selling sports shoes and clothes, although it did also sell some small objects such as tennis balls, tennis rackets and swimming goggles.
After speaking to the manager, he said how the main aim of the shop at was to break even, as the rent in Orchard Road was very high and the shop also had to pay the employees salaries as well as a few other (less expensive) costs. He also mentioned how they were hoping to diversify in the fairly near future and either expand the store physically and make it larger, or alter their stock and buy new products.
The target market was aimed at the younger generation (12 – 30) along with people who are more dedicated to sport. It is likely that this market has greatly affected the stock and the goods that the shop sells as people will not buy clothes if they are ugly, and any athletes that use the shop will not buy the equipment if it is of poor quality.
Through this meeting with the shop owner and taking into account the public’s opinions I have narrowed down the possible locations to three areas around Singapore.
Picture 1:
Picture 1 shows the location of site A, within Orchard Road. Orchard Road, as stated is one of the main shopping areas within Singapore so if the gym was located here it would there would be a lot of people and so more chance of some of those being interested in the business. Also, this site is relatively near a residential section of Singapore that is near to Orchard Road – this would also increase business as people in general do not go out to shop and to exercise at the same time.
However as seen the rent in Orchard Road is very high and if there was not enough customers within the area (even if the number of people was large) then the gym would quickly lose a lot of money and become bankrupt. Also, even though it cannot be seen on the map there is another gym further down Orchard Road. Whilst the two gyms being close together would be unlikely to drastically affect each others business it is still unwise to locate here as there are so many other places within the region that do not have access to a gym.
Picture 2:
Site B is in a more remote area and is next to one large shopping mall called Turf City (720 on map). As stated people are unlikely to come to the area to shop and exercise, rather one or the other instead. However being near the shopping mall will not hurt business – rather it will improve it as more people will know about the gym without excessive advertising. Also as can be seen on the map the area is fairly close to a residential block of housing. This is good as many people will not have to travel far to go to a gym.
Impact on the community:
There are several advantages and disadvantages to the community and other business that would be caused through setting up a gym within Singapore. One such advantage to the community (and the gym itself) is that there are no other gyms around in the close vicinity, so it would be good business for the Fitness House and it would also provide a new service for the public. Also, as it is a gym, it would of course benefit the community physically (by keeping them fit) but it is also likely to benefit them socially as well. The gym could be a focus point for social activities, such as team sports, or group cycling or jogging.
Another key advantage to a new gym in the area would be that it is likely to bring more business to other local shops. As there aren’t any gyms in the area, more people are likely to travel to get to this particular one, bringing business to other shops as well. In addition, the gym will be inside a shared building (such as a shopping mall, or a center dedicated to fitness) so the environment is not going to be damaged through the addition of this new gym (i.e. the skyline will not look unsightly, the pollution is not likely to increase, and any noise and smell generated will be just at the same level as was already there.
Also, the gym is likely to generate at least a few jobs within the community, and may also provide a point for personal trainers to come and advertise or work. Whilst Singapore cannot be counted as a particularly ‘run down’ city, the addition of a new business always helps boost confidence within the community.
There will also be disadvantages to adding a new business to the area as well. As there are no other gyms, the Fitness House could discourage other potential ‘fitness and health’ related companies from starting up. Whilst this may be a good thing for Fitness House itself, it is not great for the community.
Through this list it can be seen that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, meaning that the Fitness House Gym is likely to bring more good points to the community and surrounding businesses than it does bad ones.
Results of Questionnaire:
Over the following pages I shall display the results gathered from this survey and how they shall help with future marketing choices and decisions.
The following is a graph of people’s ages, they were only allowed to tick once. This was just a general question that gave an indication of the age of those surveyed, hopefully it will help in deciding what type of age range to expect (and cater for)
Graph A.
The next graph is the answers received for the question ‘do you think you are paying too much for a gym in your area’? It was a simple yes or no question without any other options; therefore each person could only tick one box once.
Graph B.
Next is another graph of people’s responses in regards to a yes / no question. As before, the question is shown in the title of the graph.
Graph C.
The next graph asks peoples specific opinion in relation to a question.
Graph D.
The following graph is similar to the previous, except it asks a different question.
Graph E.
The graph next shows how much people spend (and will expect to spend) on any gym’s or fitness activities throughout the year.
Graph F.
Next shows peoples preferred exercise machine. For this question, people were allowed to tick more than one box.
Graph G.
The graph next gives an indication to peoples favorite rooms within a gym. Again, people were allowed to tick more than one box in this question.
Graph H.
The next table is in response to where people would like the gym to be located. Those answering the questionnaire were only allowed to tick one box.
Graph I.
The next three questions were asked in order to get an understanding of which is the most popular place to advertise. As can be seen, there was an ‘other’ option in which people could state another option which they prefer.
Graph J.
The next graph, similar to the one above (graph J) is questioning what type of magazines people read. The difference (apart from newspapers from magazines) is that this time the genre of the magazine will be asked, rather than the specific magazine itself.
Graph K.
The next graph displays people answers in response to what TV channel they watched.
Graph L.
On the following graph, people were asked what radio stations they listen to.
Graph M.
Finally, on the last poll question, people were asked what time they went to the gym.
Graph N.
Overall Summary:
From these results, I have gain detailed knowledge of:
- Exactly where to advertise
- What type of audience I will be appealing to
- What equipment and specific exercise rooms to include in the gym
- What time people go to the gym (opening and closing times)
- The prefered location of the future Fitness House.
- What pricing strategy I should adopt
- Along with peoples own opinions in regards to fitness
With this new knowledge, I can ensure that the public gets exactly what they want from a new gym in their area (thereby making them more likely to pay for it).
Judging from these results, I will locate the new Fitness House Gym within Ford’s Plaza. This is because it is clearly the most popular choice as shown in Graph L and also, it happens to be one of the cheaper options, with both Sanson Avenue and Saint Joseph’s park being more expensive.
Whilst taking into account the results (Graph J), it is likely to be a better idea to focus the main adverts in newspapers on the New Paper. This is because advertising in the Straits Times is very expensive and the New Paper (as shown) is the second most popular paper anyway. There will be some advertising in the Straits Times, but the majority will be focused on the New Paper.
Other such things like what type of magazines, TV channels, or radio stations will also be decided. Like advertising in a newspaper, the price must also be taken into account – not just the popularity.
From Graph F, it can be seen that at maximum, I should price my subscription fees at about $150 – $200 per month. However, a better strategy would be to price the subscription fees at a price just below that of the other gyms that already exist in the area. After doing some research I found that the average price to become a member of a gym per month was approximately $100. However for visitors to join the gym initially, a fee of $300 had to be paid. Therefore, I will price initial entrance the gym and $280, with a monthly fee at $80 after that. However, it will be an aim in the future to start up reward schemes, such as if you get your friend to join the gym, you get a discount. This is likely to further encourage new people to join and any current members to recruit others in order to get a discount.
This survey was carried out entirely through questionnaires, 50 were given out in total and all were received back. In reality, it is likely that a new business starting up will use different methods (stated earlier, such as consumer panels, phone polls etc) and also expand and go into more detail on each method. Instead of giving out 50 questionnaires, they might give out 200. This would be to give as wider angle as possible for the results and also allow for discrepancies such as people not handing the survey back, or not taking it seriously.
There are three key methods of bringing a new business to the attention of potential customers:
- Television
- Radio
- Literature (newspapers, magazines etc)
As I have already asked questions on these ways advertising, I can judge as to what precise channel or genre to use within the method.
As stated it is not just the popularity that has to be taken into account. Quite often, it is often the second most popular choice that is the best solution as it is still one of the favourites, but it is likely to be much cheaper than the number one choice.
After researching the pricing for all three methods, I decided to advertise in sports and fitness genre for magazines, as this is clearly the more obvious choice when opening a gym. It is not the cheapest available, but as the all the readers will be potential customers as opposed to maybe 25% or maybe even lower in other magazines, it is definitely worth it.
For TV channels I chose channel 5, as it is reasonably popular (all of the TV channels are) and as it is a local channel (meaning that you do not have to pay for cable TV to get it, it comes for free). Thereby it is likely to have a wider audience base overall, possibly providing a wider audience in regards to sporting and exercise gyms. Also, there is no dedicated ‘fitness’ channel, so this is not an option.
For Radio stations I chose to advertise on 98.7FM. As shown in Graph M it is the most popular out of the radio stations selected and as any advertising done on the radio costs the same, no matter what channel I will use this station purely based on its popularity. Radio is always a good means of advertising for new companies as it is relatively cheap and very local, meaning that it can attract the customers that want to go but just don’t know about it.
Overall I have managed to gain a lot more marketing knowledge from this questionnaire. Through the above results, I will be able to advertise the business and then focus on actually buying the equipment and then pulling all the sections of the plan together. The marketing segment of any new business is a vital one, as even though the company may have a great niche product, if no one knows about it, then it is destined to fail.
