Why studios with challenges keep clients coming back
Half of new clients stop coming back within six months. Here's how the best studios use competitions to keep them.
Running a competition is one of the most effective things a studio can do for retention. It's also a logistical headache: a shared Google Sheet, a group text, and manually tracking who showed up. Because of this, most studios skip it. According to IHRSA, 50% of new clients drop out within the first six months, usually because there's nothing pulling them back between sessions.
That’s why we built Challenges. With Challenges, you can run a structured competition inside your branded app, with automatic progress tracking, leaderboards, and badge goals. Clients stay engaged between classes, and you don't have to manage any of it manually.
Book a demo to see how it works.
The retention problem
Consistency is a big part of building connection within a community, which is needed to retain clients for the long run. Clients who show up week in and week out stay, and clients who take a week or two off often don't come back. Les Mills found that clients who join group classes stay 22% longer than clients who only use the gym. This speaks volumes to what the community element does for retention and is often a larger variable than most studios realize.
The studios with the strongest retention also give clients something concrete to work toward, not just a class to attend. A goal, a deadline, or something to lose if they drop off.
Challenges are built to address both of these by increasing engagement for participants with an in-app live leaderboard and a group chat to foster relationships even outside the studio.
How it works
Create a challenge in your Arketa dashboard with a name, dates, a promo image, and badge goals that can be tied to specific activities: in-person classes, livestreams, appointments, or any combination. Badges from Achievements can carry over or you can create new ones and upload a custom image to go with that challenge. Enrolling automatically adds clients to a dedicated group chat, so the competition stays active between sessions.
Clients browse and enroll in one tap from your branded app. They track their badge progress and leaderboard ranking until the challenge ends, with statuses updating automatically.
Challenges can live as a dedicated tab or a home page section in your app, both managed with the drag and drop feature through the App Builder in your dashboard.
Here are a few formats to get you started
- Attendance goals: “30 Day Challenge - complete 3 classes a week this month.” Simple, clear, and works across any service type.
- Seasonal: Timed to a natural moment (new year, back-to-school, summer) gives clients a reason to join without much setup.
- Class-specific: “Attend 8 reformer classes in 6 weeks” for a service type you want to grow or to get clients trying something new.
Interested in learning more or to see how it would look for your studio? Schedule a time with our team to find out.
