Business Times reports that gym owners and other fitness professionals, who are likely to be able to operate normally again under level 1 lockdown regulations, have increasingly moved their businesses online to stay afloat.
While some existing and new clients have warmed to the idea of virtual training, the new format provides owners with only a small proportion of the business they would ordinarily have enjoyed. They also face an uncertain future when lockdown ends as consumers may be reluctant to return to crowded gyms or may no longer have funds to pay for membership. For example, personal trainer and Pilates instructor Judy Kay has been forced to move everything online. Fortunately for her, several months before the coronavirus outbreak she had been training clients online using applications such as Zoom. But online training, can be a lot more challenging than a physical class. "There are personal trainers who haven't done online training and they are struggling. There are also a lot of personal trainers who don't have money to purchase data and they don't have Wi-Fi at home." Kay noted. Another Pilates instructor Abigayle van Wyngaard reported that when the lockdown was announced clients cancelled classes and "income fell completely". Larger operators are also finding the going tough.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nick Wilson at BusinessLive
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