People are taking a hybrid approach to their fitness routines. 

People are taking a hybrid approach to their fitness routines. YPulse’s No Place Like Home trend research shows that interest in dedicated home fitness spaces increased during the pandemic as consumers swapped their gym memberships with at-home workout gear. While some expected gym attendance to rebound post-vaccine, consumers are actually combining their in-person fitness routines and their at-home ones. Demand for home fitness equipment is still growing (although not as fast as it did at the start of 2020), with the NPD Group reporting that U.S. sales were up 20% year-over-year through August and up 108% on a two-year basis. Foot traffic at gyms has also lifted, with visits only down around 8% in early October compared to the same time in 2019 according to Jefferies. Searches for Peloton and Tonal spiked in January and again in August when COVID-19 variants started spreading, and as brands introduce new health/wellness programs (like Peloton’s Mindbody or Life Time Fitness’ digital-only subscription), consumers have a variety of workout options to choose from compared to before the pandemic. Jefferies retail and fitness analyst Randy Konik notes, “People are going to realize they can work out at a gym three days a week, and then three or four days a week just do something at the house…It’s all about convenience.” YPulse’s fitness research found that 49% of young consumers who work out prefer to do so at home. (CNBC)