An app to book a gym session, and a band with preventive healthcare packages, the fitness industry is using technology to attract Mumbaikars
Health
Each time this reporter thinks of signing up for a gym, a visual pops up in the head of the earlier tryst with fitness. It was 2008. We were motivated by friends to sign up at a neighbourhood gym with an annual membership of Rs 10,000. The regime was followed religiously — eat on time, regular exercise and sleep on time. The excitement continued for a month, and then one ill-fated day, we skipped a session. One became two, then three and by the end of the third month, it stopped completely. We contemplated heading to the gym in later years but the memory of financial loss was too much to jump into the fitness wagon. Turns out, we were not alone, as the same scene was played out among colleagues.
GoodVice app allows you to book sessions in a nearby gym. Pic/Syed sameer Abedi
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Reactivating fitness
Launched recently, GoodVice app caters to this growing breed of gym-floaters. The app offers exciting non-expiring session-based plans that can be used by a consumer throughout his life. “Our survey has revealed that the renewal rates are very low at 20 per cent in the Indian fitness industry. So, 80 per cent of the people, who sign up for a membership, do not renew it — either because of hectic schedule, gym timings or poor service. But what stays longer is the memory of a financial loss because they couldn’t use all the sessions at the gym,” explains Anil Prasher, its co-founder.
The app offers a solution to reactivate these consumers, and bring them back into a gym. To use the app, one needs to sign up on the platform, select a gym in the neighbourhood, and pay for a session. A consumer will receive a QR code that will need to be scanned at the fitness facility to avail of its services. The cost of a session starts at R150 and goes up to Rs 800.
Anil Prasher
“For a long time, the fitness industry has been using annual plans to box customers, and make them pay hefty fees. But that isn’t working anymore. It’s time for the industry to come up with flexible solutions that don’t leave a consumer bitter,” he adds.
But GoodVice is not the first attempting to do that. There is also FitmeIn and Fitternity, both offering curated fitness classes in Mumbai. There were few other services like MyFlexiPass and ClassVerse, which had to shut shop. So, how does GoodVice hope to remain profitable in an uncertain industry like this? “We have studied the market, and we realised that boxing a customer doesn’t work. That’s why our passes come with no expiry period,” says Prasher.
Despite that, some like Fitternity and FitMeIn have managed to stay alive offering customised fitness services.
A fitness band that does it all
When you think of a fitness band, the lone factor that comes to mind is tracking physical activities. But GoQii, which launched its second- generation fitness band last week, is also offering subscription-based preventive healthcare integrating doctors and diagnostics into one platform in addition to the GoQii coach service that makes fitness coaches available to its fitness band users. The band will also support NFC-based payment. “What we are trying to offer is a complete health package which not only helps one keep a tab on their fitness activities, but also take preventive measures. So, we have integrated doctors who one can chat with on their phone,” says Vishal Gondal, CEO, GOQii.
While the fitness app industry is still positive about its success, some of the start-ups like ClassVerse and MyFlexiPass (above) shut shop.
The new platform also allows one to pull out health records and lab results from diagnostic centres into an online health locker, and share it with doctors. All of these, says Gondal, has made GOQii the second largest wearable brand with 18 per cent share of wearable market in the first quarter of 2016. The company will soon be releasing a new fitness band with heart monitor. “Our consumers had reported 80 per cent better experience in meeting their fitness goals with the GoQii coach platform. We are hoping to recreate the same in preventive healthcare,” adds Gondal.
Vishal Gondal
GoQii 2.0: A fitness band with doctors onboard
GOQii has made several changes in the second generation fitness band, offering not just fitness coaches but also doctors, diagnostics and an always online health record library. The band comes for free, but you are required to sign-up for the GOQii Life Programme plans, starting at Rs 1999. So, is it worth it? Let’s find out:
The Hardware
The band comes with 14 days battery life, a USB interface that can be plugged into any USB port to recharge the device, and a bundle of sensors that can track steps, distance, active time and auto sleep detection. The band also gets an OLED display that supports Caller ID, SMS and Whatsapp alerts, alarms and coach notifications. Though, we weren’t able to track the sleep pattern (it needs to be activated in the app), the activity trackers worked fine, and the alerts and notifications were very useful during training. We wish, however, it also supported email. The device, now also supports NFC-based payment for Axis Bank customers.
The service
But the new GOQii band is more than just hardware, and that’s what sets it apart from other fitness bands. The device now comes with a new health plan, called GOQii Life Programme that costs Rs 1999 for three months, Rs 2999 for six months and Rs 3999 (for a year). The plan is an improvement on the GOQii coaches, and not only gets you the band and fitness coaches, but now it also healthcare professionals who are available on chat as well as email to help you prevent illnesses, and answer your queries. And seeing their persistence, it may be a good step to keep a tab on your health. It also awards you Karma points, which can be earned by meeting your fitness goals. Users can also get a comprehensive Health Risk Assessment (HRA) done on the app and get detailed insights into their overall health situation. But you are required to answer too many questions, which can be quite a task by itself.
THE GUIDE VERDICT
The GOQii band offers something not available with any other fitness gadget in the market. If you are serious about fitness, the new GOQii band and fitness plan may be the right place to start with.
Available on Goqii.com
Price Rs 1,999 onwards
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