What 5,500 Mystery Shops Reveal in the 2026 Health & Fitness Benchmark Report

The 2026 Proinsight Health & Fitness Benchmark Report offers one of the clearest pictures of what is really happening in the leisure industry. By analysing data from 5,500 mystery shops over the last 12 months, across the UK and Europe, this report shows overall sales effectiveness, highlighting where the sector is raising its game and, more importantly, where critical opportunities are still being missed.

The Latest in the Health and Fitness Sector

Despite the challenging economic backdrop, the health and fitness industry has continued to grow, with increased membership revenue year‑on‑year. Consumers clearly still value memberships, but in an increasingly competitive market with rising expectations, brands need to keep pace or risk falling behind.

Ultimately, by reviewing what’s happening across the board, you can assess how well you’re doing and identify areas for improvement. When you look across telephone, digital and face‑to‑face channels, using unbiased data from real interactions, you can see how your member journey really compares – not just to your own standards, but to the whole industry.

The Big Picture

At an overall level, the 2026 report confirms a familiar pattern for membership sales:

• Face‑to‑face remains the strongest channel, increasing from 68% to 72% in 2026.​

• Telephone holds flat as the weakest channel at 65% for the second year running.​

• Digital is also at 65%, with performance declining from 68% in 2025.

Taken together, these scores show that the sector is doing lots of things well, but it’s still missing out on conversions and member loyalty due to inconsistent execution, weak follow‑ups, and gaps in core technical behaviours.

Face‑to‑Face Interactions

Face‑to‑face interactions remain the strongest channel in the membership sales journey, highlighting just how important in‑person experiences are for driving membership conversions.

Higher scores across measures such as Data Capture, Tour and Rapport Building have driven improvements. However, inconsistencies in scores reflect inconsistencies in customer experience. For example, measures like Follow Up are still low-scoring and a real barrier to further improvements in membership sales. Nowadays, brands should really be using CRM tools to maximise conversion opportunities.

Telephone Interactions

Telephone interactions remain the weakest channel in the membership sales journey. While the basics are often in place, with Greeting and Prompt Answering scores reasonably high, proactive behaviours lag significantly, reducing enquiry-to-visit conversions. For instance, only 65% were offered an appointment and 43% offered directions.

In today’s fast-paced world, consumers expect seamless, time-efficient interactions, and brands should use scripts, CRM tools, and targeted training to ensure calls turn into bookings.

Digital Interactions

Digital interactions are now a key part of the member journey, but performance has declined, signalling a growing challenge in meeting consumer expectations for speed and personalisation.

Every measure declined over the past year, which is particularly concerning given the growing importance of digital channels in the customer journey. Slow and impersonal responses are impacting trust and decision-making, and more brands should be using automated response systems and AI-driven personalisation to ensure their digital experience doesn’t let them down.

Emotional vs Technical Skills

One of the most insightful sections of the report looks at “Emotional vs Technical” skills in customer interactions. By categorising measures into two groups, a clear gap was identified. In 2026, the Emotional Skills score was 78%, compared to 62% for Technical Skills, yet both dimensions work together to shape customer experience and drive conversions.

While emotional engagement is strong, weaknesses in technical execution are holding brands back and limiting conversions. When staff show genuine interest, ask about personal goals, and work to build rapport, they may be providing a positive experience. Yet they need to follow up with data capture and a price presentation to encourage people to join with confidence.

Seasonal, Sector and Regional Patterns

There are still noticeable differences in how performance varies over time, by sector and by region, which can be invaluable when interpreting your own results:​

• Seasonal variation – Face‑to‑face scores stay above 70% for most months but dip in August–September, while digital performance shows the most fluctuations, with a significant drop in July. This indicates missed conversion opportunities during periods when demand and staffing patterns may shift.​

• Sector breakdown – Private operators excel in one-to-one engagement, whether it’s face-to-face or over the phone. While councils and education providers lean on digital, and leisure trusts are more balanced across all channels. However, there is a universal need for improvements in call handling.

• Regional scores – Overall regional performance is relatively close, but there is an 11% difference between the top and worst performers. North‑East England leads on face‑to‑face, while the West Midlands leads on digital and telephone varied the most across regions. These variations underscore the value of regional benchmarking, highlighting inconsistencies in customer experience and the need for targeted improvements to close gaps.

Turning Insights into Action

The 2026 Health & Fitness Benchmark Report highlights where the sector is strong and where gaps in performance are still costing enquiries, memberships and loyalty. The real value lies in how businesses use these findings to improve their members’ journeys.For businesses, the first step is to benchmark performance against the report and use ongoing insights to guide decisions. This means looking closely at how you handle digital enquiries, telephone calls and face‑to‑face visits, and using structured feedback to refine processes. The goal is to turn insights into practical changes that make it easier for members to join and stay.

A tailored mystery shopping programme is one of the most effective ways to do this. By assessing your customer experience regularly, you can:

• See how you perform in real life, across digital, phone and in-person touchpoints.

• Identify exactly where prospects are dropping out of the journey, and why.

• Track whether changes to the process are actually improving the experience.

At Proinsight, we help health and fitness brands design these programmes, interpret the results, and translate them into clear actions. When used together, the 2026 Health & Fitness Benchmark Report and your own mystery shopping results give you a powerful, evidence‑based way to keep improving the member experience.

Get in touch today to find out more about how we can help you stay up to date with the changing industry and avoid falling behind.