About the institute
Research built from direct operator insight.
Fitness Research Institute exists to better understand the Australian gym and boutique fitness sector. We collect direct feedback from gym owners, studio operators, and franchisees, combine it with public business data, and publish practical benchmarks that help the industry understand what is changing.
Published by 20percent.ai. Research supported by TrialSession.com, FindingPilates.com and FranchiseDigital.com.
Our reports are designed to be useful at the studio floor - not theoretical white papers. Benchmarks cover lead sources, trial conversion bands, retention norms, software adoption, cost pressure, and the things owners and operators actually plan around.
Principles
How we approach the work
Four commitments that shape every research project we run.
01
Operator-led
Findings begin with the people running the businesses. Suppliers, vendors, and consumer surveys do not replace direct operator feedback.
02
Aggregated by default
Individual responses are confidential unless an operator has explicitly chosen attribution. Reports are published in aggregate with sample size disclosures.
03
Open about support
Published by 20percent.ai. Research supported by TrialSession.com, FindingPilates.com and FranchiseDigital.com.
04
Practical over theoretical
Benchmarks are designed to be useful at the studio floor - lead sources, conversion bands, retention norms, cost pressure, owner confidence.
Disclosure
Publisher and supporters
Published by 20percent.ai. Research supported by TrialSession.com, FindingPilates.com and FranchiseDigital.com. Support does not influence findings.
The participation gift offered to eligible operators - a $250 TrialSession.com promotional article - is provided as a thank-you for taking part. Pilates studios receive a free promotional article on FindingPilates.com. It is available regardless of whether feedback is positive, negative, or mixed, and participation does not require purchasing any service.
Where research findings discuss services or providers covered by TrialSession.com, that relationship is labelled inline so readers can interpret the work appropriately.
Get involved
Contribute to the next benchmark report.
Gym owners, studio operators, franchisees and multi-site operators across Australia can contribute. Individual responses are kept confidential in published summaries.