Making the digital switch

Making the digital switch

The challenge

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and many businesses turned to remote working, MobGroup had to switch from in-person to online fitness classes.

The solution

In just three days, MobGroup transformed its business model, going digital-first with online booking and live-streamed fitness classes.

The result

Going digital has helped MobGroup to attract new customers, opening up their offering to B2C as well as B2B clients, and gaining new customers across the globe.

The challenge

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and many businesses turned to remote working, MobGroup had to switch from in-person to online fitness classes.

The solution

In just three days, MobGroup transformed its business model, going digital-first with online booking and live-streamed fitness classes.

The result

Going digital has helped MobGroup to attract new customers, opening up their offering to B2C as well as B2B clients, and gaining new customers across the globe.

MobGroup was founded in 2016 to offer workplace workouts at offices across London. Instructors would run on-site fitness classes for employees – from HIIT to guided meditation. The business was doing well; with big clients like Google and Deloitte. And they’d expanded their services to include nutrition and wellness services.

But the world is going digital. And with many people working from home these days, MobGroup needed to adapt to an online, digital model. But how can a fitness company, with all classes and workshops done in person, make such a dramatic change to their business?

When Rob and Mark spoke to their customers, they discovered that the need for online fitness services was high. Customers were worried about their employees’ health and wellbeing – and wanted an online, work-from-home solution. Plus, it was a great way to keep the workplace culture thriving – even when not in the office.

“So, we had to work out how we could adapt to continue providing that service that our clients expect from us,” says Mark.

The answer was MobGroup Live.
 

Moving to an online business

In just three days, MobGroup reinvented how its business worked. They started live-streaming fitness classes instead.  

“We’d never done any paid work over the internet before,” says Rob. “But we figured out, with modern technology, that we were able to completely adapt the business to go online.”  

MobGroup used a cloud-based video conferencing app to host their video fitness sessions. With support for up to 10,000 participants for each video, the app could easily accommodate their client’s largest teams.

They also used an online booking system to book each class, so they could keep track of who would be joining each session. MobGroup even used an automation tool to send out log-in details to every participant simultaneously, helping to streamline the process.

Like many small businesses, MobGroup doesn’t have a dedicated IT specialist. So, they had to work it all out for themselves. “It was a very busy few days,” says Rob. “We had to learn about e-commerce and marketing for membership sites, which was all completely new to us!”

They used whatever hardware they could to get up and running as fast as possible, using the cameras on their phones and laptops to live-stream classes. “I transformed my living room into a fitness studio,” says Rob. “Alongside also using it as a nursery and all the other things you need to do”.

But the gamble paid off. “We’ve actually managed to retain the majority of our clients,” says Mark. By switching to a digital business, MobGroup has shown that if you’re able to quickly adapt your model, your business can grow through any circumstances.
 

Reaching a new audience

Mark and Rob have since expanded the online service to include live cook-a-longs and morning mindfulness sessions. They’ve also upped their production values, investing in higher-quality cameras and better lighting for their live-streams.

Going digital has helped them attract new customers – and not just businesses. They’ve now opened their classes up to individuals too. “We’ve never gone into the B2C market before, so that’s a nice side benefit,” says Mark.

“We’ve actually made our business more scalable,” says Rob. “Originally, we would do classes up to 20 people or so. Today I ran a class that had 60. And these people are all over the globe. So you’ve got people in Sweden, Germany and Australia all joining in at the same time, which is really quite exciting.”

And that’s all thanks to making the digital switch. Without moving their business online, MobGroup wouldn’t have picked up B2C clients, or gone global. Their business is a great example of what digital mobility and scalability can do to change a company’s landscape forever.
 

Learning new digital skills

Live streaming is just one of the ways to stay connected with your customers. Whether you want to set up your business online for the first time or are looking for advanced tips for using data analytics to grow your business, we can help. We’ve created free training resources to help businesses go digital – with a wide range of courses to choose from.

Find out how we can help your business with our Digital Skills Training for Business to grow your business.
 

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