Case Study:
Class Pass
Discover
Context:
ClassPass, a subscription-based fitness service, has become a popular way for users to attend various workout classes across different gyms and studios. However, the company faces challenges with user retention and engagement, especially among those who attend sporadically. One significant observation is that users often find themselves attending fitness classes alone, and there is no immediate or easy way to connect with others who are also looking to socialise or network. This lack of social interaction reduces the chances of users attending classes regularly, ultimately affecting retention and growth.
Hypothesis: If ClassPass adds friend-making and networking features, then its number of classes attended by customers per week, month, or year will increase.
Competitor Analysis:
Competitors:
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Mindbody: Provides a platform for booking fitness classes but lacks social features, which leaves a gap in the market.
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Peloton: While it emphasizes community through virtual classes and live leaderboards, it doesn't offer in-person social features that ClassPass could capitalise on.
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Fitbit + Meetup Integration: Encourages fitness groups and socialising around health, yet lacks direct class attendance features that tie into fitness studios and gyms.
Indirect Competitors:
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Runclubs
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Meet Ups
Industry Trends:
Increasing demand for social engagement in fitness as people seek more than just workouts but also community and connection.
Users, especially younger generations, are looking for fitness experiences that blend social interaction with fitness goals, creating a broader lifestyle experience.
Students and Young Professionals
New Mums
Fitness Enthusiasts
and Social Seekers
User Insights
User insight 1
"I love fitness, but it feels like I’m just another face in the crowd. I've just moved to a new city with my job and, like most people, I use Class Pass to see what the city has to offer. It's quite lonely when you first arrive in a new place & I wish there was a way to make real connections whilst I'm at these workouts, if we're at the same class; we must have something in common."
User Insight 2
"Sometimes I give up on classes because they feel too hard or too far away. I need something to motivate me to stick with it. If I had a friend as an accountability partner it wold feel like more worth the effort to keep going. maybe we could encourage each other with a reward of a coffee together after class, maybe even a cocktail!"
User Insight 3
I wish there was a way to build community and maybe even network through our fitness classes. It would be such a no-pressure way to connect with new people as you already have something in common and something else to focus on but the culture just isn't there. Eveyone just rushes in and rushes out"
Work out Class
Companies:
Company Insights
"With Class Pass guests, they often come to one class and then drop off and I never see them again. It's really hard to keep the class moving forward when there so many beginners in every lesson. Usually, if you have a beginner cohort they start at the same level and then grow incrementally together over time. It helps the class to feel like a community because they've learned something together, commiserating with each other when it's hard and cheering each other on as we learn new skills together. The drop-in and drop-out nature of class passes means that I can't offer the class progression or community feel that I'd like to. I think it enables easy dropout rates too. There's no connection to the rest of the group, no accountability partners.
User Pain Points:
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Lack of social or networking opportunities within fitness classes.
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Want to make friends but unsure how to do so within a class setting.
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Feeling awkward about trying to network or talk to people after class.
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Limited retention from people attending fitness classes solo, especially in group settings with no built-in community feel.
User Motivations:
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Desire to meet new people while staying active.
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Searching for a sense of community and accountability in their fitness routines.
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Wanting a social treat or reward after working out.
Define
User Journey
Currently, the user journey looks like this:
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Discovery Phase:
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A user opens ClassPass to explore available classes, but they find it hard to identify or choose classes that align with social opportunities.
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They book a class, often unsure if they’ll meet anyone else or feel awkward during the session.​
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2. During the Class:
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They attend class solo, unsure of how to initiate conversation with others.
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They might feel disconnected from the experience, as the class is more about individual effort rather than group camaraderie.
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3. Post-Class:
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The user leaves the class without any real social connection, which leads to a lack of motivation to return.
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Some users may try to look for others to hang out with post-class, but the process feels awkward or forced without an integrated social system.
Big Takeaways
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There’s a strong desire among the target audience to make fitness a social activity, not just a personal one.
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Users often attend different classes, preventing the formation of consistent "cohorts" or groups who attend together regularly.
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The key to retention lies in building a sense of community within classes—people want accountability partners and social connections.
The Problem
Core Problem: ClassPass lacks a robust social component. Users want to turn fitness classes into social events where they can meet people, network, and form lasting bonds. Without this, many users feel less motivated to attend regularly, leading to low retention rates and inconsistent class attendance.
The Goal
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User Perspective: Make fitness classes more engaging by turning them into social experiences where users can meet like-minded people and build lasting relationships.
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Business Perspective: Increase the frequency of class attendance by users through the creation of a more interactive, social experience that boosts retention and long-term engagement.
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Quantitative Goal: Increase active, recurring class participants per week/month/year.
Develop
Feature Prioritisation & MVP Definition
Solutions Explored:
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Social Features: Enabling users to make connections, join social groups & create or attend post-class meetups.
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Real Rewards: Instead of just badges, offering tangible rewards like discounts on future classes or perks for regular attendance.
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​Streaks & Rewards: A badge system that encourages consistent attendance but doesn't necessarily encourage socialising.
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High-Level Features:
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Friend/Networking Matchmaking: A feature to connect users with similar fitness interests or goals, such as an option to match with someone attending the same class regularly.
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Post-Class Social Event Organising: Allow users to create or join social events after classes, such as brunches, coffee dates, or group outings.
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Class Cohorts: Enable users to form groups that consistently attend the same classes together, making it easier to network and build ongoing connections.
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RICE Scoring:
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Friend/Networking Matchmaking: Reach (High), Impact (High), Confidence (High), Effort (Medium)
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Social Event Organizing: Reach (Medium), Impact (Medium), Confidence (Medium), Effort (High)
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Class Cohorts: Reach (High), Impact (High), Confidence (High), Effort (Medium)
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MVP Features:​
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Friend/ Networking Matchmaking interface: A simple swipe interface (for those who have opted-in to this feature) allowing users to match with others attending the same class and show other classes they attend for inspiration.
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Event creation feature: Users can select from predefined post-class events or create custom events with dates, locations, and participants.
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Cohort creation: Option to join or create a recurring cohort for specific classes, turning them into a community event.
User Interviews & Feedback:
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Streaks & Rewards: Users found the streaks motivating at first but were demotivated if they missed a class or faced too much differentiation between studios.
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Real Rewards: While attractive, real rewards like discounts did not strongly foster community building or interaction.
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Social Features: The social aspect, like attending classes with an accountability partner and organising social events, was by far the most favoured option. It addressed both the social and motivational needs of users.
Final Solution
The final solution integrates social features directly into the Class Pass app, allowing users to:
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Match with accountability partners based on shared interests and class schedules.
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Organise post-class social events, such as brunches or coffee meetups, directly through the app.
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Join class cohorts that form a consistent group, making each workout a regular social event rather than just a fitness session.
Launch & GTM Strategy
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Soft Launch: Start with a select group of active users in top workout locations (e.g., New York, LA, London) to test and refine the features.
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Promotion Channels:
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Notifications within the app to encourage users to try the new social features.
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Email Campaigns targeting users who have previously shown interest in social features or group activities.
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Influencer Marketing by partnering with fitness influencers who can highlight the social and networking potential of the new features.
Measuring Success
Key Metrics to Monitor:
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North Star Metric: Increase in weekly active users and total class attendance per user.
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Leading Indicators: Number of users matching with accountability partners, event participation, and cohort creation.
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Lagging Indicators: Increased retention rate and frequency of class attendance per user.
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Counter Metrics: Low engagement with matchmaking features, low social event creation rates, or lack of cohort activity.
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Monitoring Metrics:
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User activity data: Tracking how often users interact with the social features and attend events.
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Customer feedback loops: Quick surveys or feature ratings to collect qualitative insights from users about the new experience.
Future Iterations
Potential Future Features:
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Integration with LinkedIn or modern professional networking platforms to allow users to network professionally through fitness.
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Friendship app integration: Connecting with an existing friendship app like Bumble BFF or Locals helps users to trust the new social features as they know these companies are already experienced in helping people build social connections.​
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Dating app integration: Integrate features for people interested in building romantic connections.
Closing Summary
Class Pass' introduction of social and networking features directly addresses the core pain points of its users: the desire for a more engaging, community-driven fitness experience. By enabling matchmaking for accountability partners, creating opportunities for post-class social events, and allowing users to form cohorts, the solution transforms fitness classes into social hubs, fostering long-term relationships and increasing class attendance. This approach not only meets the social needs of users but also drives higher retention and engagement, positioning Class Pass to differentiate itself in a competitive market and increase both user satisfaction and business growth.