Visit frequency

Visit frequency is how often a member comes in, usually expressed as visits per week or per month. It’s the single best predictor of whether someone will still be a member in six months — better than how long they’ve been with you, and far better than what they pay.

Across the industry, roughly one visit a week is where retention changes character. Members averaging above it renew at much higher rates. Members below it are drifting, whether or not they’d say so.

Falling frequency is the earliest reliable signal you get. It shows up weeks before a cancellation, and unlike a cancellation, it’s reversible.

Track the trend, not the number. A member who came four times a week and now comes once has a problem. A member who has always come once a week is fine.

That distinction is the whole skill: absolute frequency tells you about a member’s life, but a drop tells you about their relationship with your gym.

Every gym has members it’s already lost and hasn’t billed yet. Visit frequency is how you find them while there’s still something to do about it.

It’s also the number to act on rather than admire. A monthly report is too slow; a flag when someone’s pattern breaks is not.

Attendance feeds a continuously updated risk read, with a per-member heatmap. When a pattern breaks, the member is flagged and PATO drafts the outreach.