Originally launched in 2020 and always provided as a free value-add to our customers, Connect has quickly become one of the most popular features in the Wexer ecosystem.
For anyone not yet familiar with it, Connect is the area of the Wexer platform where you – gym operator, accommodation provider, hotel operator, corporate employer – can upload your own self-produced content.
The way we describe it: it’s like having your own TV channel – a place to share anything from on-demand workouts led by your star trainers to meditation sessions, cookery workshops, events hosted at your facilities… the floor is yours! You know your customers best, and Connect is where you get to meet their very specific needs, all fronted by the faces they know and love, all delivered under your brand.
The power of Connect
To date, Connect has only been available on the Wexer Web Player – our white labelled ‘any time, anywhere, any connected device’ portal. It sits at the top of the Web Player home page – the first thing users see, above the many channels and class collections populated by Wexer’s global content providers and influencers.
And when it’s used well, Connect works very, very well, with Asian fitness giant Evolution Wellness a prime example. In Evolution Wellness’s Virtual Studio – the Group’s digital fitness platform, powered by Wexer Web Player – only 30% of the content available is self-produced. However, that 30% accounts for 47% of all views. This self-produced content also commands an average 18-minute stream length, versus 11 minutes for third-party content.
This is the unquestionable power of local stars: the appeal of working out with people you know from your own club, even on the days when you can’t make it in and need to work out online.
Connecting in-club
As the Evolution Wellness example proves, self-produced online content provision – everyone’s go-to during lockdown – remains a vital part of the hybrid model moving forward.
But as members return to their clubs, now entirely used to working out with an on-screen instructor, in-club virtual is also seeing a boom – and that makes it the perfect time to turbocharge Wexer Virtual.
Specifically, we wanted to allow our customers to bring their own, in-house superstars to the big screens of their virtual studios. Think top instructors available round the clock rather than at peak times only. Think popular classes filmed and replayed over multiple sessions to maximise the number of members who get to enjoy them – especially valuable right now, with class capacity restrictions still in place in many markets. Think jam-packed studio schedules featuring familiar faces all day, every day, without the price tag of pay-by-the-hour class instruction.
Sound good? Then without further ado, allow us to introduce Virtual Connect – the same TV channel approach as in the Wexer Web Player, now launched and available on Wexer Virtual too.
That’s right: Wexer Virtual isn’t just about third-party content any more. It’s about your own content too, meaning your local stars – the instructors who have the relationships with your members – can front your whole in- and out-of-club group exercise offering for a consistent member experience.
So, if your members miss any of their favourite classes, they can now catch up in the gym any time – or at home and on the go when partnered with our digital solutions.
This new feature is FREE to all Wexer Virtual customers, all you need to do is contact your Account Manager to get set started. Or get in touch here if you are interested in launching a virtual offering. As an added bonus, the classes are downloaded onto your Wexer Virtual players for 100% guaranteed availability, so you can rely on the classes to run smoothly.
We’ll also be building on the functionality of Virtual Connect over the coming months, introducing live streaming to complement the existing on-demand capability. Think waitlisted classes streaming live into overflow studios and spaces in the club, and even between clubs in the estate.
Get ready to supercharge your group fitness studio! To find out more about Virtual Connect, contact us at info@wexer.com