Meet Three Gyms That are Skyrocketing Gym Revenue with Retail Sales

For a lot of gym owners, retail sales are either an afterthought or even a “never thought of that.” So if memberships are your core product and primary revenue stream, you're not alone. But you could be missing the boat on some substantial revenue.

Retail sales can include everything from apparel and branded merchandise to supplements and performance tools. And the good news is, getting into the retail game is probably easier than you thought. With the right strategy and selection of products, you can increase both gym revenue and retention.

Today, we’re talking to three PushPress gym owners that are crushing retail sales. We asked each one to tell us how they’re doing it, and what tips they’d offer to help other owners.

Retail Drives More than 10% Monthly at Rushmore CrossFit.

Meet Traie Roberson, owner of Rushmore CrossFit in Rapid City, SD. Roberson has owned her gym for more than a decade and has never shied away from the retail game. Today, retail sales - which she’s refined over the last three years - account for 10 percent of overall revenue. Apparel is her biggest seller, followed by protein-based food products and creatine.

Here are the six tips Roberson offered for other gym owners.

1. Run pre-orders for larger-ticket items so you don’t have a ton of stock. But, always order at least a little extra, especially when it comes to swag. This is because some people want to see and touch the apparel before purchasing.
2. Ask your members what they want you to sell. This way, you only stock what your members actually want, rather than what you think they want.
3. Get your coaches on board with what you’re selling. When you do this, they’re more likely to push the products, too.
4. Use PushPress software to make retail sales easier. Roberson said her gym uses the Staff App in Kiosk Mode to make sales smooth. And her team shows new members how to use it during onboarding.
5. Use challenges to introduce new products. Rushmore CrossFit uses nutrition challenges for selling supplements like protein, creatine and collagen. One members try it, they restock each month.
6. Accept that there’s some degree of trial and error. Roberson said, “Don't be afraid to get something different if it's not working. Order small to start and restock when needed. Sample days for supplements are also great as your wholesale partners for sample stuff.”

CrossFit LYFE Earned $6,500 in Retail Sales Last Month.

Meet Nathalie Mejias, owner of CrossFit LYFE in Cooper City, FL. Mejias opened her gym in October 2020 and introduced retail sales immediately. Her biggest seller has always been t-shirts, which they redesign every two months. FitAid drinks and fairlife protein milk also sell well.

Last month, CrossFit LYFE earned $6,518 in retail sales. Nearly $4,000 of that came from pre-orders. Here are the three tips Mejias offered for other gym owners.

1. Use PushPress. Mejias said she has all products inputted into the system, so it makes purchases “easy and effortless for members.” She said it can’t be a multi-step process because people will either forget or just not buy if it’s too complicated.
2. Start with shirts. Mejias said people buy gym merchandise for a variety of reasons. Members want to rep the brand. Drop-ins want to purchase souvenirs. And sometimes people just forget their gym clothes. The key is to do a pre-order for two weeks, and order a few extras for the FOMO crowd.
3. Don’t forget the drinks. Especially when the weather gets warm, members are more likely to buy an ice-cold recovery drink if it’s available. So Mejias recommends having drinks readily available in your fridge.

Pro Tip: Want to learn more about increasing gym revenue with Product Sales in the PushPress Staff App? Book a demo with our team today!

Breakaway Fitness & Performance Went “All In” on Retail.

Meet Joe Rouse, owner of Breakaway Fitness & Performance in Hampstead, NC. Rouse has been selling retail for the last eight years with a strategic approach.

“We went all in on supplements once we started using gymsupps, and offering our own branded supplements,” he said. His biggest sellers are protein powder and greens powders, and retail sales account for 7-10 percent of overall monthly revenue. Here are the three tips from Rouse to other gym owners.

1. Don’t overstock apparel. Rouse said they keep minimal apparel in stock, and instead he does big pre-orders with new seasonal designs.
2. Offer free samples. Breakaway Fitness & Performance does a sampling night once per month, often themed around holidays. For example, members sampled the “Green Machine” - a mix of greens and vanilla protein powder - for St. Patty’s Day. Rouse said, “We hit it hard for two weeks with a small table full of the product. We also add a pre-order sheet for all supplements at a time we have the table out.”
3. Inform your coaches. One way Rouse promotes retail sales so well is by requiring his coaches to be proactive. He said, “Make sure coaches know at least three things about the product, and they announce after every session.”

In Summary: Retail Sales are a Tremendous Opportunity for Gym Owners.

Retail sales can be uncharted territory for gym owners. But they also offer a low-lift opportunity to increase gym revenue and retention. Gym owners Traie Roberson, Nathalie Mejias and Joe Rouse are all crushing retail in their gyms, and encouraging others to get started.

Roberson said, “It's a great way to supplement income and can be a game-changer once you get it refined.”

Mejias agreed, and said, “Income is income, and it can also be marketing. Your members are walking around with your brand across their chest and people ask about it.”

Rouse also reminded other gym owners that “selling branded apparel helps create brand ambassadors for your gym.”

Finally, as Mejias put it, “Members will spend the money regardless of where they are. So why not make it easy for them to spend it inside your gym?”