Payment Failures Cost UK Fitness Sector £15bn in Bookings

Fitness enthusiasts in the UK are abandoning bookings when payment systems fail to deliver seamless experiences. According to Global Payments, 71% of British consumers will leave a booking incomplete if the payment process proves difficult.

The wellness sector has become a focal point of this digital shift. Mobile applications now serve as the primary gateway through which people access gyms, studios and personal training sessions.

Consumer spending reaches £15bn

British consumers spend an estimated £15bn (US$19.6bn) annually booking personal services through software-as-a-service platforms and apps, according to research from Global Payments. Fitness services account for one of the largest segments within this market.

The preference for integrated systems remains clear. Single-screen transactions where users can browse and pay without redirection to external websites represent the standard expectation for most people making online bookings.

Digital payment infrastructure has become the determining factor in whether fitness consumers complete their purchases. Poor checkout experiences could mean the difference between a confirmed class booking and an abandoned cart.

The survey data shows that 42% of users select platforms based specifically on whether they offer simple and secure payment options. This suggests payment functionality now ranks alongside factors such as class variety and location in consumer decision making.

Younger demographics fuel adoption

Gen Z and Millennials together pour around £7.5bn (US$9.8bn) annually into wellness and fitness applications, representing half of total UK spend in this category. According to Global Payments, these two demographics are reshaping how the fitness industry operates.

Usage patterns among younger consumers show this behaviour is becoming permanent. Over half of Gen Z users (55%) and half of Millennials (50%) report using booking platforms more than they did two years ago.

The data indicates that 31% of UK adults surveyed now use platforms to book fitness services. These range from individual classes to gym memberships.

Platform bookings for fitness services have become habitual, with 60% of those polled using this digital method regularly. The shift could show a permanent change in how British consumers access wellness services.

Independent studios gain visibility

One in eight consumers (13%) surveyed use booking platforms as a discovery tool to find and support independent businesses. This behaviour pattern could mean local fitness studios gain access to audiences they would not reach through traditional marketing.

For small and medium-sized businesses, listing on digital marketplaces offers a pipeline to entirely new customer bases. However, the survey found that 36% of independent personal services businesses in the UK need their software to have greater ability to manage payments.

Global Payments worked with TV fitness personality Sheli McCoy, who is the coach and owner of SweatBox Dundee, to illustrate the impact of this technology. She says: "Your vibe attracts your tribe and we've built a community based on that ethos, giving that opportunity to everybody who comes here. Success is knowing we can't do everything ourselves – it's about harnessing the talents of other people and bringing in technology to help us pull everything together."

Sheli continues: "The software we use helps people find us, book their classes and pay online, making it a better experience for clients while allowing me to focus on spending time face-to-face, coaching and working with them on the ground."

Payment friction derails bookings

The Global Payments survey highlights strict consumer intolerance for friction during checkout. Three key findings emerge from the data:

• More than 70% of consumers say a poor payment process would cause them to abandon a booking altogether
• More than 40% of users actively choose platforms based specifically on whether they offer simple, secure payments
• Approximately 84% of consumers expect a refund within 48 hours if a service, such as a fitness class, is cancelled.

Platforms that fail to deliver seamless checkouts and rapid refunds risk losing individual bookings. They also risk losing the small and medium-sized business clients who rely on those platforms to build trust and convert first-time users into repeat customers.

Grant Evans, Head of Sales, Integrated and Platforms at Global Payments, emphasises the stakes for software developers. He says: "We are living in the app economy and fitness is one of its biggest winners – from padel to pilates. This presents a huge opportunity for platforms, but only if they have the right technology in place. Crucially, this must include payments, which are often the make-or-break moment in a transaction."

Grant adds: "Platforms must find the right software partner to deliver on this need if they are going to attract new business – it is how they can win the trust of businesses looking to grow and help their SMB clients turn first-time bookings into repeat business."

For platform providers, integrating end-to-end payments functionality becomes integral in capturing a share of the growing consumer spend. The convergence of software-as-a-service and financial technology means providers must evolve beyond simple booking diaries into comprehensive financial ecosystems.