Since its partnership with Wexer in 2016, Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), integrating Wexer’s extensive virtual class library into their offerings has played a crucial role in supporting GLL’s mission to make fitness accessible to all.
GLL is one of the UK’s leading social enterprises in leisure and cultural services. They have undergone a significant digital transformation with the addition of Wexer fitness and wellness content. GLL, a staff-owned, not-for-profit organization, manages over 270 leisure centers across the UK, offering a wide range of fitness, wellness, and cultural services to diverse communities.
In this case study, we’ll dive into how the partnership between GLL and Wexer evolved, the challenges it addressed, and the impact it has had on both GLL’s business and its members.
The Challenge: Meeting Diverse Member Needs
GLL faced a major challenge in providing its diverse membership with a seamless, consistent fitness experience. Their membership base spans different demographics, including youth, working professionals, and seniors, each with unique fitness needs and schedules. A key concern was ensuring that fitness offerings could cater to this broad audience without requiring large increases in live staffing, especially for smaller or budget-restricted centers.
Additionally, they needed a scalable, reliable solution to support the aging population, encouraging seniors to stay active and feel confident in fitness spaces. This became extremely important after the pandemic and a growing priority for GLL.
“Where we had struggling centers or budget restrictions for live classes, virtual classes were a good way to build the program up again.” This reflected the reality that live classes alone couldn’t always fulfill member demands, particularly in under-resourced areas.“
~Wendy Edwards, Fitness Class Manager for GLL ~
Why Wexer Makes Fitness Accessible To All?
GLL chose Wexer for several reasons, all revolving around the platform’s flexibility, quality, and scalability.
1. Vast Content Library
Wexer boasts an extensive collection of virtual fitness classes catering to various fitness levels and preferences. From low-impact workouts designed for seniors to high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for more advanced classes, Wexer’s content library made it possible for GLL to meet the wide-ranging fitness needs of its members.
“The expansive library of 100+ low impact/senior classes has helped boost senior member facility usage. This feature addressed the concerns of aging members who needed low-impact and senior-friendly classes, ensuring inclusivity.”
~Wendy Edwards, Fitness Class Manager for GLL ~
2. Accessibility
One of the standout features that drew GLL to Wexer was its accessibility. By offering virtual classes through mobile platforms, GLL could make fitness content available anytime, anywhere. Whether members wanted to work out from home, during off-peak hours, or while traveling, Wexer’s platform gave them that flexibility.
3. Mobile Integration
The seamless integration of Wexer into GLL’s app provided members with instant access to all of Wexer’s virtual classes.The GLL mobile app uses the Wexer virtual classes and has become an essential part of GLL’s strategy. This is particularly valuable during periods when live classes aren’t feasible.
The GLL Solution: Wexer’s Comprehensive Digital Fitness Offering
By partnering with Wexer, GLL created a comprehensive digital fitness solution that complements their live offerings. The ability to integrate Wexer’s extensive virtual class library directly into their app meant that members could easily find and join fitness sessions that suited their needs and schedules.
The Wexer platform has served as an educational tool for GLL as well, helping staff to better understand member preferences. Wendy stated, “Wexer data helped explain what people were picking on demand vs. what was on the actual schedule.”This insight has been invaluable for refining and improving GLL’s overall class offerings.
GLL has also used Wexer to support underperforming centers and those with budget restrictions. Virtual classes provide a scalable and cost-effective solution to keep members engaged even when live instructors aren’t available.
“The stats for the first couple of months of 2024 have tripled since last year. In addition, our mobile engagement increased 2% YOY during our slower summer time.“
~Wendy Edwards, Fitness Class Manager for GLL ~
The GLL Stats: Increased Member Engagement and Senior Confidence
Since 2016, Wexer’s virtual fitness platform has driven significant results for GLL, particularly in terms of member engagement and usage.
✅ Member Engagement 6% Year-Over-Year Growth
In the first quarter of 2024, GLL saw a 6% year-on-year (YOY) growth in member engagement, translating to an additional 2,610 classes across all centers.
✅ Mobile Engagement Increased 2% Year-Over-Year
The impressive growth GLL has experienced since adopting Wexer is supported by the ability to offer classes year-round, even during traditionally slower periods like the summer months.
✅ Increase In Senior Usage & Memberships
Another significant impact has been the positive response from senior members, a demographic that required additional encouragement to return to fitness centers following the pandemic. With over 100 low-impact and senior-focused classes, Wexer provided a welcoming and accessible way for seniors to re-engage with their fitness routines.
This not only boosted daily senior member facility usage but also contributed to an increase in senior sign-ups, further proving the effectiveness of Wexer’s targeted offerings.
“Since the lockdown, seniors needed more encouragement to come back into the centre. Having Wexer helped us build their confidence in the gym again.” ~Wendy Edwards, Fitness Class Manager for GLL ~
The GLL Transformation With Wexer Digital Fitness
One of the key factors behind the success of GLL’s digital transformation is the strong partnership with Wexer. Wendy praised the Wexer team for their responsiveness and support, stating, “Karen’s brilliant. She’s always at the end of the phone. Anything new that we need or need help with, she is there.” This ongoing collaboration has allowed GLL to continually improve their digital offerings and address members’ needs in real time.
Furthermore, GLL values how well Wexer understands their membership demographic. As Wendy highlights, “We have to ensure in each partnership we work with that they understand the demographic we have at our centers and it matches.” This alignment between Wexer’s offerings and GLL’s member needs has been critical to the success of their virtual fitness program.
Conclusion: A Future of Continued Growth and Engagement
GLL’s partnership with Wexer has been a game changer in its efforts to offer high-quality, accessible fitness solutions to its members. The digital transformation enabled by Wexer has not only driven significant growth in member engagement, but also provided a crucial tool for re-engaging seniors and boosting facility usage across all age groups.
By leveraging Wexer’s extensive content library and mobile integration, GLL is well-positioned to continue providing valuable fitness solutions that meet the diverse needs of its members. With strong support from the Wexer team and the ability to scale offerings to meet changing member demands, GLL is set for continued success in its mission to make fitness accessible to all.
Wendy sums it up perfectly: “Since partnering with Wexer, we’ve been able to ensure that our fitness is accessible to all members, regardless of age or ability, can access high-quality fitness content whenever they need it.”
Check out the case study and contact Wexer to help with your digital fitness and wellness transformation!
About Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL)
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