Inactive health club members who have been successfully engaged into revisiting their club are 45 per cent less likely to cancel their membership – compared to members who received no interaction.

The finding comes from the IHRSA Member Retention Report (Volume 3, Issue 3): Focus on Member Interaction, which was published earlier this week.

The report, conducted by the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) in partnership with The Retention People (TRP), reveals that a successful “commitment interaction” instigated by a club can be an effective way of improving retention.

The findings are based on a survey of more than 13,000 health club members in the UK.

“This report will help club operators identify the types of interactions that will help re-engage inactive members,” said Jay Ablondi, IHRSA’s executive vice president of global products.

“Results show that any type of interaction with a member at risk of cancelling can reduce the likelihood of dropping out by nearly 10 per cent.”

Chris Werte, marketing manager of TRP added: “Successful clubs understand that quality engagement with members is important to creating a positive member experience.

“The Member Retention Report shows that, overall, interactions with a high-risk member not only reduces the risk of cancellation in the subsequent month, but also extends the lifetime value of the membership.”

The report is available free to IHRSA members at the IHRSA online resource, ihrsa.org/store.