How often have you missed your workout because you were working past your gym timings? Or did not sign up with a gym because you were unsure of staying on? Or did you ever fantasize about stopping by any gym on your way home that was still open? Many have these questions and there are a few people who have sought to remedy the situation with an app called Gymer according to YourStory. Srikanth Balakumar and Kushal Kumar are the founders of Gymer, along with a team of people managing different aspects of this venture. Their app is the answer to people’s hopes of ‘gymming-by-the-hour’, with no upfront membership fees. The app and its web-based service allow users to book instant or in-advance workout sessions on an hourly basis which can be done through Paytm and PayUmoney. Gymer follows a pay-as-you-go model as has so far seen traction across all platforms. Gymer has tied up with 180 gyms across Bengaluru where users can book hourly sessions. For every booking at a gym, Gymer receives a nominal fee. Most gyms have been quite happy to sign up with Gymer as a team member explains,
The experience of signing up with gym partners has been quite pleasant. The major issue gyms face is that a large section of people come and sign up, but 60-70% do not return. So they were happy signing up with us.”
Gymer also has a partner-facing mobile app through which the gyms can manage and control bookings. It also also allows them to inform patrons or users in case of emergencies such as if the gym is closed on a certain day. Users receive a verification code when they book a session and this code is entered into the partner-facing app. The app’s growth so far has been organic, growing through word of mouth. however, they are focusing on raising seed funding to expand their services further. It seems that Gymer’s model is pretty rare in the Indian market whereas it already exists globally through Class Pass.