THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Nowadays people are thinking of new ways to get in shape lose weight, gain weight, live fit and
healthier or build muscle. The increasing awareness of health benefits of physical activity and
health consciousness has propelled the fitness industry and it has been increasing over the past
several years and is expected to grow exponentially. The fitness industry has been going through
structural changes due to major developments in technology, equipments and customers
requirements and demands.. People are looking for the gyms which provide quality services and
stick to its promises.

A significant trend in the fitness industry has been virtual coaching, personal trainer at home,
outdoor workouts and productive workouts. Some of the gyms have been providing all types of
services to its premium members in metro cities.

In the fitness industry the main focus of the gym owners is to build a positive image of their gym
in the minds of people. The success and failure of the gym greatly depends upon the quality of
services provided by the gym and also the perception of gym goers towards the gym.

The top five factors which are influencing the satisfaction level of customers are latest
equipments, professional trainer, good quality supplements, cleanliness and a friendly
atmosphere. So in order to grow bigger the fitness industry has to make sure that these factors are
taken seriously and worked on.

However there have been various problems in the Indian fitness industry such as outdated
equipments, poor service quality, poor attitude of the trainers, over promising and high fees.
These problems can cause a significant loss to the fitness industry if not addressed at the earliest.

The fitness industry is expected to grow at more than 4% per year in the coming years and the
numbers of gyms are also expected to grow in numbers. But only those gyms will survive or
grow who understands the needs and demands of its customers and provide high quality services
to the customers.
Types of gym

1) The membership gym: These are premium gym that provide a long term membership card and
operates 24 hours a day. These gym have trainer available all the time. The quality of the service
is high with all the facilities available like: Lockers, bathing, steam bath, sauna, etc

2) The 24 hour access gym: These gyms operate 24/7 and the members can visit anytime and any
day. It can either have or not have a gym trainer.

3) CrossFit: These gyms have a combination of aerobic exercise, bodyweight exercise and
Olympic weightlifting. These are designed to provide overall fitness to its members.

4) Training gyms: These types of gyms are small in area size with a large number of members
working out mostly without a gym trainer. The quality of the service is extremely poor in
training gyms.

This study provides a comprehensive analysis about the perception of gym goers towards the
fitness industry and also their expectations from the gym.
 Research Methodology

Need for the study

This research is conducted to identify the perception of gym goers towards the fitness industry
and the quality of services of gyms in Belagavi. The research results will provide the insights
about the requirement of necessary changes in the fitness industry and how the industry can
adopt changes to improve the quality of services and meet the gym goers’ expectations.

By understanding the expectations of the gym goers, the gym owners can do a critical analysis of
the issues faced by its members and correct them to stay relevant.

Objectives of the study

1) To identify the satisfaction level of customers

2) To identify the image held by fitness industry in the minds of gym goers.

3)

4)

Scope of the study

The study is limited to only the geographical area of Belagavi district in the state of karnataka,
India and the respondents are the customers of the fitness industry.

A scale of 1 to 5 is chosen for the study as it makes the survey less burdensome and produces
more reliable results.

This determines long held assumptions about what the customers want and expect and how well
the industry delivers. The study will work as a wakeup call to the fitness industry in India to
understand the perception of the gym goers towards the gyms and make necessary changes in its
service quality.

Research Design

Descriptive Research: This project is based on descriptive research as it is preplanned and

structured. The information collected can be statistically analyzed for further analysis.
Data collection methods

1) Primary Data

a) Questionnaire: A set of 20 questions are prepared and presented in front of the gym goers in
the form of feedback form to collect the necessary information.

b) Observation: This method is used to see the physical evidence of the gym.

2) Secondary Data: Secondary data is collected from websites. This data provides information
about the fitness industry and the types of gyms.

Sampling method: Non probability convenience sampling. This sampling method is chosen as it
saves time and targeting sample size becomes easy.

Sample size: A sample size of 100 gym goers’ has been chosen for this study.

Limitations

1) Availability of respondents

2) Respondents may struggle to rate experiences

3) Conducting surveys in the gyms has never been easier

4) Low response rate

5) Information obtained from the respondents may be biased