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Mario Alguacil, Ferran Calabuig and Pablo Jiménez, researchers from the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (FCAFE) of the University of Valencia, along with Vera Pedragosa from the Department of Economic and Business Sciences of the Autonomous University of Lisbon, have published a study demonstrating the relationship between service interaction, consumer trust and user loyalty, highlighting the role of loyalty as a key factor in value creation within fitness centres.
This sector generates €31.8 billion annually in Europe and has 67.6 million active users. As a result, trust and a sense of community within these services act as important precursors to user loyalty.
“From a management perspective, the scale used to measure service delivery can be a useful tool for fitness facility managers due to its reduced structure. By applying it, managers can assess interaction with the serviceto implement new interaction protocols and to adapt existing ones”, the article states.
The research, published in the journal Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research, complements previous studies on this subject. “Based on the findings of this study conducted in fitness centres in Portugal, it is shown that interaction with the service can influence consumer behaviour through different pathways — both rational and emotional”, explains Pablo Jiménez Jiménez, first author of the article and researcher of the SMIrg research group on sport management and innovation at the University of Valencia, of which Alguacil, Calabuig and Pedragosa are also members. The study was carried out with the collaboration of the Portugal Activo Foundation.
For the research, a survey was conducted involving over 235 users of different fitness centres in Portugal, with an average age of 41.5 years. Of the participants, 72% were women and 38% men. Regarding expenditure, 34% of users reported spending less than €30 per month, while 59% reported spending between €30 and €65.
Previous studies in fitness centres had indicated that interaction between customers and staff plays a crucial role in the service delivery process, acting as a source of value creation that can influence customer perceptions and behavioural intentions. However, there was a lack of evidence regarding how interactions between members and staff influence users' emotional responses. These findings emphasise the importance of interpersonal interaction in these services, particularly in a context increasingly shaped by the adoption of new technological tools.
This research received support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through a predoctoral contract awarded to researcher Pablo Jiménez (FPU20/06649), as well as additional mobility funding for his stay at the Autonomous University of Lisbon (FPU20/06649).
Reference:Jiménez-Jiménez, P., Pedragosa, V., Alguacil-Jiménez, M., & Calabuig-Moreno, F. (2025). Analysing the Value of Social Interaction for Fitness Centre Management: The Influence of Service Encounter in Consumer Trust and Loyalty. Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research, 0(0), 2025. https://doi.org/10.2478/pcssr-2025-0022
