The Chinese fitness industry provides an important context for this research. According to the 2023 China Fitness Industry Data Report, there were approximately 69.75 million paid offline gym members in China at the end of 2023, while the fitness participation penetration rate was 4.89%. The country had approximately 117,000 fitness-related venues, including more than 36,000 commercial fitness clubs and more than 42,000 fitness studios.

However, these large numbers do not necessarily mean that the industry has solved the problem of long-term participation. In 2023, the closure rate of commercial fitness clubs in major Chinese cities reached 14.07%, while the net growth rate was -8.94%. This suggests that attracting people into gyms and retaining them are two different challenges.

The situation also changed significantly in 2024. The 2024 China Sports and Fitness Industry Data Report reported that the number of fitness members increased to 87.525 million, a year-on-year increase of 25.47%, while the number of broad fitness venues reached approximately 143,000. However, the number of traditional commercial fitness clubs decreased to 28,683, while fitness studios increased to 43,232.

This suggests that the Chinese fitness market is becoming more diverse and segmented. Consumers may increasingly expect flexible, personalised and community-oriented experiences rather than traditional membership models.

The 2024 China Fitness Industry Operations White Paper similarly argues that although demand for fitness services is increasing, traditional gyms need to move away from an overemphasis on sales and focus more strongly on customer-centred service and experience.

This provides an important context for my project. If the Chinese fitness industry is increasingly focused on customer retention and service quality, then improving the first experience of a beginner could become an important design opportunity.