Hapana is adding to its gamification arsenal, launching a new “challenge” app feature for boutique and group fitness studios. The all-in-one fitness software provider is partnering with Strong Pilates, helping to launch the Australian brand’s inaugural “Feel Strong” running challenge that goes until March 26th.

With the challenge feature, Hapana now allows operators to stoke the competitive fires of their members, spurring engagement and retention. 

The platform allows boutique fitness studios to set up group challenges either with fixed time frames, like Strong Pilates has done, or via a purchase-based start for individual enrollments. After that, operators can add goals or levels for members. Screens illustrate progress along the way, tracking metrics and displaying them with visually captivating graphics. Users are also permitted to share their achievements across social media.

“Challenges are essential for boutique and group fitness studios, fostering engagement and member retention,” said Jarron Aizen, CEO and founder of Hapana. “Existing software solutions haven’t kept pace with evolving market dynamics, and Hapana is here to bridge that gap. We are proud to offer the best member app in the market, continuously innovating while other providers lag behind.”

As gamification often does, Hapana sees the launch of challenges as an opportunity to give gym-goers more in terms of helping them reach their fitness goals. That leads to benefits for operators as well. 

“The challenge app, with the potential to engage thousands of members simultaneously, empowers them to track their progress, hold themselves accountable, and stay motivated – not just for challenges, but also for trials and overall fitness goals,” Aizen added. “This fosters a sense of community for our customers, ultimately driving member conversion.”

Having gotten the first crack at the feature, Strong Pilates was quick to agree. 

“Hapana’s challenge capability is game-changing for our business, and we are incredibly grateful to the Hapana team for delivering this innovative solution,” said Michael Ramsey, co-founder of Strong Pilates. “The challenge app is not just a feature; it’s a powerful tool to engage our members, welcome newcomers and ultimately convert them into loyal members of the Strong Pilates family.”

This launch represents another win in what’s already been a successful past five years for Hapana. Since moving its base of operations from Sydney to the United States in 2018, the software provider has twice doubled in size, partnering with top brands like F45 Training, Body Fit Training (BFT) and Gold’s Gym alongside Strong Pilates. 

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Drilling deeper than anyone to find the industry’s most vital statistics, few gym or fitness studio software providers elevate their clients to the heights Hapana does. 

The software provider has become one of the health and wellness community’s fastest-growing suppliers, having twice doubled in size since moving its base of operations from Sydney to the United States in 2018. Hapana’s comprehensive approach to analytics lies at the heart of its success. 

Operators such as F45 Training, Body Fit Training (BFT), Gold’s Gym, UFC Gym, KX Pilates and Strong Pilates are just a few of Hapana’s many clients.

Data Is King … If You Know How To Use It

Hapana’s strength as a supplier stems from its versatility. Even with a bevy of fitness brands all looking for Hapana to guide them toward different data pools based on their specific goals, Hapana manages to point them all in the right direction at once. 

Central to Hapana’s approach is the human touch, which starts during onboarding. 

“Larger brands are looking at extracting data and compiling it in their own financial reporting packs or trend packs,” said Hapana Founder and CEO Jarron Aizen. “Smaller brands instead want everything to be there. Then, they’re happy to go and favoritize different things that resonate with their business. All of our accounts go through a guided onboarding with a human. We go through that process of helping them identify which reports are important for them.”

But the buck doesn’t stop there. Hapana presents different data points to different customers, depending on what’s important for their specific business.

“Every business is different,” Aizen said. “Whilst everyone’s looking for a similar set of raw data, customizing those dashboards is going to be paramount because everyone’s looking at different sets of data.” 

“You may have a package-based business, another that’s membership-based or some that are both,” Aizen added. “We even have brands with different definitions of an ‘active member.’ We classify an active member as someone active and paying. Someone on a free membership, they’re not in that number. That’s boosting your number, but it’s not adding to your yield. We’re looking at the data that’s really contributing to revenue growth and retention, not necessarily just inflating in numbers. But if they do want that in there, they can add it. That’s the difference. We’re giving them that high level of customization when looking at their data.”

Keeping Up With What Operators Want

The Hapana team also keeps a close eye out for what’s trending in terms of harvesting data. With gyms and fitness studios recently looking for a more detailed approach to retention and engagement, Hapana makes sure they’re covered. 

“Yield has been a big focus for many of our brands,” Aizen said. “If you had five new members that joined this week and two that left, but the five that joined did so at $20 a month and the ones that left were at $50 a month, you’re losing money even though you’re at a net member gain. Those have been big focus areas.”

Hapana has also identified figures pertaining to how a gym develops and grows its community as a favorite among operators. The platform has responded by making a variety of community-oriented stats available. Some include the ability to measure the impact of social events, group event participation, in-app referral figures, and group bookings. 

The same can be said for digital engagement, another subject Hapana has noticed an increase in demand for statistical analysis. The platform’s analytics have already started helping clients determine how heavily they should invest in that element of their business.  

“A lot of brands that went online over the pandemic, some of them have pulled back from that strategy after looking at the data on who’s actually engaging in this digital content,” Aizen said. “Other brands have shifted, where they now use it as more of a brand extension… rather than a direct method to drive ancillary revenue streams.”

Full Data Transparency

Hapana also separates itself from the other software providers with its openness in data sharing with clients. Operators can be misled by other gym management solutions, which sometimes neglect to give their customers the whole picture. 

“Our goal is to ensure that contractually, brands own their data,” Aizen said. “A lot of our other competitors, they basically have the fact that they own the data buried deep in their contracts. You don’t want your data to be held ransom. That’s not how we operate. You should be able to go and get all the information that you need through these reports.”

Hapana also simplifies things for brands with standard, one-size-fits-all pricing. 

“A lot of brands have different tiers of subscription pricing depending on what reports you want. We just go with one pricing tier that says you get access to everything,” Aizen said. “We want our brands to have everything they need under the hood.”

The post Hapana Is Changing the Way Gyms & Studios Leverage Data appeared first on Athletech News.

Jarron Aizen, Founder and CEO of Hapana, a leading software provider for gyms and fitness businesses, joins Athletech News Founder and CEO Edward Hertzman in this exclusive “Fireside Chat” interview. 

Aizen offers analysis on different ways fitness brands can expand globally, even touching on his own experience after successfully bringing Hapana to North America. 

The pair also discuss new industry trends such as integrating recovery or mental health into fitness facilities, why it’s necessary for international brands to understand cultural differences in different communities, and why consistency is key across multiple locations. The sit-down is a must-watch for any organization looking to go international this year. 

Watch the full interview here for expert commentary on the following:

• The do’s and don’ts of international expansion for fitness brands
• How different brands can and should go global in different ways
• Future of the fitness industry from a tech supplier perspective

Key Talking Points:

(0:00 – 1:14 ) Introductions

(1:14 – 4:26) Trends in the industry for 2024

(4:26 – 10:38) Initial challenges and mistakes to avoid with global expansion

(10:38 – 14:17) Establishing consistency with brands scaling in different ways

(14:17 – 18:04) What brands going global immediately need to know

(18:04 – 20:36) Why brands need to communicate to certain regions in specific ways

(20:36 – 24:50) The expertise and flexibility that separate Hapana from the competition

(24:50 – 27:20) Why caution is still required when expanding

(27:20 – 28:55) Wrap up

The post Fireside Chat: Hapana’s Jarron Aizen on Global Expansion for Fitness Brands appeared first on Athletech News.

Hapana, an all-in-one fitness member management solution that has attracted customers such as Gold’s Gym, KX Pilates and Body Fit Training (BFT), has received an investment from Riverside Acceleration Capital (RAC) as it continues its expansion in the U.S. 

Founded in 2012 in Sydney, Australia, Hapana’s platform allows multi-location fitness businesses to streamline operations and boost member engagement with ease, processing over $300 million in payments through the Hapana platform to date. 

The funding will be used to invest in Hapana’s sales and marketing teams and will go towards continued product development.

The full-stack gym and fitness software company announced the investment news on LinkedIn, posting that Hapana is “Ending out 2023 with huge plans for 2024 .”

The software solution suite includes flexible scheduling features, payments, a mobile app that promotes gamified challenges, reminders and wearable integration, a marketing and sales automation platform, workflows for member milestones and club challenges, live streaming and on-demand fitness content, and an advanced reporting tool for resource allocation and tracking across multiple locations and customer segments.

“We are thrilled to announce that we have successfully raised a new round of capital with Riverside Acceleration Capital,” wrote Hapana founder and CEO Jarron Aizen. “This milestone marks a significant leap forward for us at Hapana, as we continue to innovate and expand our reach.”

RAC noted that Hapana has “identified a growing niche, serving primarily class-based, multi-location fitness centers” and has “experienced impressive growth” in Australia before expanding across Asia, Europe and North America.

Last month, Hapana deepened its relationship with BFT, renewing its partnership with the Australia-based functional and strength training concept owned by Xponential Fitness.

Hapana also recently named Dirk Bartlett its vice president of business development. Bartlett has previously served at ABC Fitness and has worked with fitness brands such as Equinox, Gold’s Gym and 24 Hour Fitness.

The post Hapana Gets Investment To Expand Engagement-Focused Fitness Software appeared first on Athletech News.