Charting the Evolution of a Healthcare Ecosystem

In 2011, Myzone introduced its first product, Myzone Heart Rate Display, a software, hardware, and wearable solution, making it a pioneering forerunner in wearable technology. In fact, while wearable technology has been among the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) top trends for the past seven years, it didn’t crack the list until 2016, five years after Myzone debuted. Since then, wearable technology has remained at the top of ACSM’s list, one of the few unchanged trends since its first appearance.

In the ensuing years, Myzone has grown from a single product into a true health ecosystem, driving solutions inside and outside the facility. In addition to a range of connected solutions, Myzone offers multiple touchpoints designed to help members and their facilities stay connected.

Myzone’s Vision: Next-level Engagement

“Myzone started almost 12 years ago as a hardware, software, and wearable solution; however, we always envisioned an ultimate goal of creating a larger ecosystem that engaged the user and truly made them feel good about exercise before, during, and after the event,” says Terry Woods, vice president of sales at Myzone. “It is the immediate and satisfying reward that happens after an activity that then creates a positive habit.

“Our evolution throughout the years has stayed consistent with providing this reward and plays off the foundation created at the beginning, where effort was rewarded. Additional features or products represented our adapting to the market while staying true to our philosophy.”

The rewards Terry refers to—Myzone Effort Points (MEPs), a unique form of tracking user exercise inside and outside a facility enabled by the Myzone belt—were designed to help reinforce and create positive health behaviors.

“As we in the industry all know, a user that stays with their routine, whether in a gym or outside, is always more likely to maintain their health club membership,” he says. “Throughout the past years, we have advanced our product to allow facilities to connect with their members. For example, we developed virtual solutions designed to unlock remote training while still growing and nurturing a community.”

Another element of Myzone’s connectivity is its power as a platform for social engagement, what Terry calls its “secret sauce.”

“Our data tells us that the simple act of being connected on our platform with four or more other Myzone users will drive adherence to an exercise program by nearly 40%,” he notes. “When users begin to interact with each other through receiving or giving likes and comments, it only increases that loyalty to a program. The more engagement a user has, the more accountability to a community they have, which then drives a more motivated and connected user—that’s a big part of why we developed the ecosystem in the first place.”

Health Club Operator Benefits

While user engagement is a critical function of the Myzone ecosystem, the same data collected for users gives operators unparalleled opportunities to maintain connections to members that otherwise may be lost.

The benefit to a health club operator, Terry says, is that, regardless of where someone is working out that day, Myzone can connect with them 100% of the time. Prior to the pandemic, users of the Myzone system recorded nearly 63% of all workouts within a facility. Since clubs reopened, that number has only grown to 49%, which means the majority of recorded workouts are not within a health club, but Myzone is still tracking those workouts, giving operators insights into their members’ activities.

Additional data on Myzone users compared to non-users in the same facilities reveals higher Net Promoter Scores for the facility, greater satisfaction with their fitness results, and greater likelihood to remain a member six months from the point in time of the data collection.

“That last data point is key: the core benefit of members engaging through Myzone is retention and extending their lifetime value,” says Terry.

Core Myzone Solutions

Myzone deploys its solutions based on the makeup of a given facility. The ecosystem includes specific feature sets designed to target three main user groups in a facility:

1. personal training,

2. small group training, and

3. general user group population.

Here’s how Terry breaks it down.

Personal trainers focus on Myzone’s accountability feature set—everything to do with interacting with members on the user app, creating friend groups within the app, utilizing one of the three designed fitness tests that offer accurate baselines for trainers to measure, as well as the ability to create individual goal setting.

Small group training centers on the in-club display software—becoming a hub of activity and the motivation for coaches to get the most out of their clients. It allows trainers to set up classes through MZ-Instruct or create a full-circuit solution with MZ-Smart Station, which hosts a series of exercise modalities on multiple monitors and then manages member traffic through the circuit.

General user group focuses on Myzone’s easy-to-build Challenge system, which drives members to earn MEPs in a game-like fashion.

“The key to a successful deployment of our technology is to first sit down and define what it is you are trying to accomplish,” Terry explains. “We don’t throw the entire solution set to someone right from the start. Instead, we build what you need in concert with the other strategies you’re implementing.

“In addition, Myzone offers extensive training, support, and classes designed for membership staff, coaching staff, and owners alike to maximize their return on investment in their system and continue to provide a tool that members love to come back for.

“There are a lot of options on the market today when it comes to technology and wearables,” he continues. “What truly makes Myzone special is our focus on making the member and operator successful. Our goal is not to simply sell heart-rate monitors. It is to create a long-term relationship with the business operator so they can coach, motivate, and create long-lasting habits for their members, resulting in a win-win situation.”

To learn more about the scope of Myzone solutions, visit their website.