Pilates on the Bay: From Half-Empty to High-Energy
How a combined growth strategy increased average studio utilisation from 55% to over 70%, maximizing revenue per class.
THE CHALLENGE
The Profitability Puzzle of Empty Reformers
Despite having a great studio and instructors, many classes at Pilates on the Bay were running at just over half capacity. This meant lost revenue potential for every single class on the schedule, especially during off-peak hours. The studio's fixed costs remained the same whether a class had 5 people or 10.
Key Pain Points
- Peak hour classes were busy, but off-peak classes were consistently quiet.
- Low overall profitability despite having a decent number of members.
- Difficulty forecasting revenue due to inconsistent attendance.
- Perception of a 'quiet' studio was impacting energy and member morale.
- High number of late cancellations leaving last-minute empty spots.
THE SOLUTION
Holistic Growth and Optimisation Strategy
There was no single magic bullet. We increased studio utilisation by implementing a combination of the previously detailed strategies. By attracting more local clients (Re-positioning), converting them effectively (Website & Onboarding), filling last-minute spots (Waitlist Automation), and driving consistent interest (Social & Local Search), we created a powerful, synergistic effect that filled more reformers in every class.
Top-of-Funnel Expansion
Months 1-3Focused on driving awareness and new leads through the Local Search, Social Media, and Brand Re-positioning strategies to create a larger pool of potential clients.
Conversion Funnel Optimisation
Months 2-4Ensured new leads were converted efficiently using the high-performance Website and automated Intro-to-Membership nurturing sequence.
Attendance & Retention Optimisation
Months 4-6Focused on getting existing members to attend more frequently and implemented the automated waitlist system to fill spots from late cancellations, directly impacting the utilisation rate.
Technologies & Tools Used
IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE
Awareness & Branding Push
The initial focus was on making the studio more visible and appealing to the local market through branding and local SEO.
Conversion Engine Activation
With more traffic coming in, the new website and onboarding automations were activated to convert interest into paying clients.
Internal Optimisation
With a larger member base, the final phase focused on internal mechanics like the waitlist system to maximize attendance.
THE RESULTS
The combined effect of the growth initiatives resulted in a dramatic and highly profitable increase in how full the classes were on average.
Utilisation & Attendance
Average Class Utilisation Rate
Off-Peak Utilisation Rate (9am-4pm)
Average Monthly Visits per Member
Financial Impact
Average Revenue per Class
Total Monthly Class Revenue
"Seeing fuller classes has changed everything – the energy, the community feel, and especially our bottom line. It wasn't one thing, but how everything worked together. We're no longer wasting the potential of our beautiful studio."
KEY LEARNINGS
Synergy Creates Momentum
A great website is useless without traffic. Great traffic is wasted with a poor conversion process. Success comes from optimizing the entire client journey.
Don't Neglect Off-Peak Hours
Targeted marketing to flexible-schedule demographics (like active retirees or remote workers) was key to lifting the average utilisation rate.
Measure What Matters
Focusing on a key metric like 'utilisation rate' helps align all marketing and operational efforts towards a single, highly valuable goal.
WHAT'S NEXT
With consistently high utilisation, the next step is to optimize pricing and scheduling.
- Introduce dynamic pricing models for peak and off-peak classes.
- Analyze attendance data to optimize the class schedule, adding more of the most popular class times/types.
- Develop premium, small-group workshops that command a higher price per head.
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Let's discuss how we can create similar results for your business.