Perceptual & Motor Skills: Exercise & Sport 2013, 117, 3, 733-741. © Perceptual & Motor Skills 2013
DURATION OF MEMBERSHIP AT SPORTS CENTERS AND REASONS FOR QUITTING1, 2 ALBERTO NUVIALA, ALBERTO GRAO-CRUCES, AND ROSARIO TEVA-VILLÉN Faculty of Sport Science University Pablo de Olavide JOSE A. PÉREZ-TURPIN
RAQUEL PÉREZ-ORDÁS
Faculty of Education University of Alicante
Faculty of Sport Science University Pablo de Olavide
JAVIER A. TAMAYO-FAJARDO Faculty of Education University of Huelva Summary.—Reasons for quitting membership at a sports center and their relation with socio-demographic characteristics and duration of membership were investigated. 642 individuals (55.4% men, 44.6% women), who had recently quit membership at a Spanish sports center, completed a questionnaire. There were significant differences in reasons for quitting on age, occupation, type of activities, and time spent on membership activities. The main reason was financial, regardless of the duration of membership.
It is evident that acquiring and retaining customers are at the core of many successful service organizations (e.g., Lovelock & Wirtz, 2007), and sports centers are no exception. Christopher, Payne, and Ballantyne (1993) asserted that traditionally managers pay more attention to recruiting new members than to retaining members. However, the perspective of relationship marketing has focused on customer retention (Christopher, et al., 1993; Ahmad & Buttle, 2004; Dhurup & Surujlal, 2010). Studies show that retention of loyal members is cheaper than acquiring new members (Ravald & Grönross, 1996; Lindgreen, Davis, Brodie, & Buchanan-Oliver, 2000; Ahmad & Buttle, 2004). Customer loyalty has been studied from different perspectives in commercial organizations, but in the field of sport organizations most of the researches are focused on the link between service quality and customer retention (e.g., Murray & Howat, 2002). This theoretical framework argues that service quality is a direct precursor to customer satisfaction Address correspondence to Alberto Nuviala, Faculty of Sport Science, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera, Km. 1, CP 41013 Sevilla, España or e-mail ([email protected]). 2 The authors would like to express their thanks to the University Teaching Staff Training Programme run by the Spanish Ministry of Education. 1
DOI 10.2466/06.PMS.117x32z3
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(Bodet & Meurgey, 2002; Murray & Howat, 2002; Shonk & Chelladurai, 2009; Kyle, Theodorakis, Karageorgiou, & Lafazani, 2010), which in turn influences the future intentions of customers (Murray & Howat, 2002; Westerbeek & Shilbury, 2003; Kim & Trail, 2010; Kyle, et al., 2010). In this context, is important to take care with the tangible elements of the facilities and with the attitudes and skills of the staff, because service quality depends on these elements (Afthinos, Theodorakis, & Nassis, 2005; Bodet, 2006; Kim & Trail, 2010). Another key element in this framework is the perceived value, a variable affected by service quality and price, which has been described as an important factor mediating between service quality and customer satisfaction, and is a determinant of customers' future intentions (McDougall & Levesque, 2000; Murray & Howat, 2002). Bodet (2012) noted that intentions do not always correspond with behaviors, and advocated the use of behavioral loyalty measures. Length of membership is an important indicator of loyalty (Soderlund, 2006), and is a concern for sports centers (Martínez, Yong, & Martínez, 2010). Mayers (2005) noted high attrition rates in the fitness industry, especially during the first months of membership, leading Nuviala, Teva-Villén, GraoCruces, Pérez-Ordás, García-Fernández, and Nuviala (2012) to design a questionnaire to assess the reasons for attrition. There are few studies of attrition reasons at sports centers. Customer characteristics are important to retention of members in any commercial organization (Picón & Varela, 2000). For this reason, sociodemographic and other characteristics related with the use of sports centers may also affect duration of membership. Activities chosen by members are related with the assessment of service quality (Nuviala, Grao-Cruces, Pérez-Turpin, & Nuviala, 2012). Frequency of use is related with customer loyalty (Bodet, 2012). This study was designed to identify the reasons for attrition given by customers who quit their memberships at sports centers, and whether reasons are related to duration of membership. Another goal was to relate duration of membership with sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, level of education, and occupation) and use of the sports center (type of activity, frequency of use, daily time of use, and time of day). Two hypotheses were posed: Hypothesis 1. Customers who quit their membership at sports centers are sociodemographically different according to the length of membership before quitting their memberships. Hypothesis 2. The main reasons for quitting memberships at sports centers are related to dissatisfaction with staff and with tangible elements of the facilities, irrespective of duration of membership.
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METHOD Participants The sample consisted of 642 individuals (356 men, 286 women; M age = 30.1 yr., SD = 9.8) who had quit their membership at a public management sports center located in a major Spanish city. The participants' education was 79.2% post-secondary and 1.3% basic secondary education. The public sports center charged monthly 42€ for the general public and 26€ for members of the university community. Measures Attrition scale in sport centers (Nuviala, Teva-Villén, et al., 2012) comprises 22 items across five factors (Financial, Exercising, Satisfaction, Enjoyment, and Leisure). Preliminary reliability and validity were acceptable. In the current study, a confirmatory factor analysis indicated five factors and 12 items (see Appendix) (GFI = .97, AGFI = 0.95, NFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.96, CFI = .98, IFI = 0.97, RMR = 0.06, RMSEA = 0.04, AIC = 171.56; ECVI = 0.268, χ2 = 103.56; χ2/df = 2.35). Items were rated on a 5-point Likert scale, with anchors 1: Totally agree and 5: Totally disagree. Cronbach's α coefficient in the present study was .89. This scale was complemented with a number of sociodemographic items (sex, age, education, occupation, type of sports activity, time spent on sport daily, and normal time to visit the sports center) and a question asking how long the participant had been a member at the sports center. Procedure The questionnaire was administered 10 to 15 days after participants quit their memberships. A group of interviewers who had been trained in surveying techniques administered the questionnaire. Participants were asked for their collaboration and encouraged to raise any concerns they may have had. It took approximately 10 min. to complete each questionnaire. Before starting to gather data, permission was sought from those in charge of the organisation where the study was carried out and all participants agreed to take part voluntarily. Analysis The data were analysed after it had been tabulated and transferred to a computer using the SPSS 2.0. Normality and heteroscedasticity were assessed. The data obtained were homogenous (Box’s M test, p = .45) and non-normally distributed (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test indicated for all variables p < .001); however, due to the large number of participants in the study, parametric tests were used, as it is well known that this type of statistical analysis provides acceptable results with large samples (n > 30 in each analysis group) even though the sample is non-normal, based on the central limit theorem (Pett, 1997; Pardo & Ruiz, 2002).
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A descriptive analysis was carried out. Inferential analysis was then performed using contingency tables and the χ2 contrast test, along with repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni post hoc tests to assess whether the duration of membership was related to reasons for quitting. RESULTS Average duration of membership at the sports center for users who quit was 12.9 mo. (SD = 16.3). The 40.2% of users who quit their membership did so after being there for less than 4 mo., 26.9% stayed with the center for 4 to 12 mo., while the remaining 32.9% had been paid members for longer than 12 mo. A relationship was found between duration of membership at the sports center before quitting and the variables relating to age, occupation, type of sports activity chosen, and time spent at the sports center per day. Older individuals, pensioners, and employees, who carried out activities in the water with music, and those who spent from 31 to 90 min. exercising each day had the longest membership at the sports center (Table 1). Financial factors were perceived as the most important causes of quitting, and also the chosen sport activity. Significant differences in duration of membership were only found in the category Exercising (Table 2). DISCUSSION Financial reasons were the main cause of attrition for sport centers members, irrespective of duration of membership. The results confirm Hypothesis 1. Membership was significantly longer among older members. Greenwell, Fink, and Pastore (2002) found that younger individuals were more critical of a sports center's physical facilities, the core product, and staff, and consequently had less loyalty (Murray & Howat, 2002). Retirees and, to a lesser extent, employed people had longer membership, possibly explained by their greater financial stability when compared with students and the unemployed. This statement is consistent with the results of Greenwell, et al. (2002), who found that people with lower incomes were more critical of various aspects of sports services. Consistent with Hypothesis 2, customers’ chosen activities were related to duration of membership. Members who did aquatic activities with music may have perceived higher quality of facilities (Nuviala, Grao-Cruces, et al., 2012). Clients who satisfied international physical activity guidelines for health (Haskell, Lee, Pate, Powell, Blair, Franklin, et al., 2007) with their activities at the sports center had longer membership durations than those who did not reach the minimum recommended level. With regard to the reasons for quitting, the results point to financial motives, regardless of membership duration. Although, this does not sup-
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TABLE 1 DURATION OF MEMBERSHIP BEFORE QUITTING THE SPORTS CENTER AND SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES Duration, % Demographic Sex Age
Education
Occupation
286
40.3a
24.8a
34.9a
Female
356
40.2
29.4
30.4a
Under 26
262
54.6a
22.9b
22.5 b
From 26 to 45
322
32.3a
32.6b
35.1b
From 46 to 65
55
20.0a
14.5a
65.5b
Over 65
3
A
A
100.0a
No education
2
A
50.0
50.0a
Primary
7
33.3
A
66.7a
Secondary
125
University Employed
a
a
37.4
31.3
a
31.3a
508
34.8a
29.0a
36.2a
304
22.1a
34.3b
43.6b
A
A
100.0a
5
a
30.3a
27.3a
42.4a
Student
282
51.0
25.3
b
23.8b
Housework
9
11.1a
11.1a
77.8a
Others
7
50.0
25.0
25.0a
216
44.4
28.3
27.2a
Dry land music
Water no music
a
a a
a a
25
14.3a
23.8a,b
61.9b
227
29.5a
28.4b
42.1b 16.7
χ2
df
Φ
2.21
2
0.05
65.55†
6
0.32
5.51
6
0.97
68.26†
10
0.34
46.81†
8
0.29
4.72
8
0.14
10
0.18
10
0.16
58
41.7
41.7
Independent users
116
59.8a
13.4b
26.8b
4 or more times a week
117
a
41.1
29.7
29.1a
2–3 times a week
394
38.9
a
27.9
a
33.2a
77
38.0a
19.7a
42.3a
15 to 30 min.
17
40.0a
46.7a
13.3a
31 to 60 min.
164
36.4a,b 22.2b
41.4a
61 to 90 min.
287
36.8
31.9
31.2a,b 17.23*
91 to 120 min.
145
Over 120 min.
Once a week
Time of day
a
35
Dry land no music
Daily time
a
Unemployed
Water music
Weekly frequency
< ≥ 4 to > 4 mo. 12 mo. 12 mo.
Male
Retired/Pensioner
Activity
n
a,b
a
b
a
b
a
46.9
23.8
a
29.4a
29
51.9a
18.5a
29.6a
Evening
247
40.2
29.3
a
30.5a
Afternoon
a
a
145
42.4a
29.9a
27.8a
Midday
61
40.0a
16.7a
43.3a
Morning
110
40.9a
28.2a
30.9a
12.49
No set time 79 32.9a 21.5a 45.6a Note.—Equal superscripts indicate a subset of column categories whose proportions do not differ significantly at the .05 level. A = no data. *p < .05. †p < .01.
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A. NUVIALA, ET AL. TABLE 2 REASONS FOR QUITTING MEMBERSHIP AT THE CENTER AND DURATION OF MEMBERSHIP Demographic
Satisfaction
Enjoyment
Exercising
Financial
Leisure
M
SD 1.17
1
1.83
2
1.66
1.11
3
1.77
1.19
Total
1.76
1.16
1
1.83
0.97
2
1.67
0.99
3
1.68
0.91 0.96
Total
1.74
1
2.21
1.21
2
1.93
1.10
3
1.99
1.11
Total
2.06
1.15
1
2.74
1.44
2
2.56
1.53
3
2.89
1.52 1.49
Total
2.74
1
1.79
0.87
2
1.65
0.81
3
1.74
0.85
F2
p
ES
Post hoc
0.96
.38
0.00
ns
1.99
.13
0.00
ns
3.25
.03
0.01
1 vs 2
2.00
.13
0.00
ns
1.25
.28
0.00
ns
Total 1.74 0.85 Note.—1: less than 4 mo.; 2: Over 4 to 12 mo.; 3: Over 12 mo.
port Hypothesis 1, Ruiz, García, and Díaz (2007) reported financial factors as one of the causes for quitting from a physical or sports activity, whether formally organised or not. The costs of the services offered by sports centers are presumably higher than physical or sports activities in other contexts, which could explain the greater importance the current participants placed on financial factors. In the context of the current Spanish financial crisis, the perception of excessive cost is problematic (Dávila & González, 2009). Financial conditions affect purchasing power but also limit the ability of the sports center to reduce prices. An obvious example of this in Spain is the recent 13% increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) for the sports sector. There is no consensus on the financial factor being the only reason for quitting membership (Nuviala, Teva-Villén, et al., 2012). Among other reasons, the most interesting factor grouped together items related to the physical or sports activity itself, such as overcrowding and the amount of equipment available. This category, Exercising, was the only one to show significant differences with relation to membership duration. It was seen
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to be more significant among those who had not been registered with the center for more than three months, which reveals to managers the importance of improving those elements (Nuviala, Grao-Cruces, et al., 2012), especially for those activities where newly registered users predominate. The main limitation of this study was the fact that the sample consisted of clients who had quit from one specific sports center in one specific city. However, one of the strong points of this study is that it is based on a considerable number of participants. Future studies could assess public and private sports centers with different marketing strategies. Studying the relationship between the reasons for quitting membership and the time of year, as well as value judgements prior to quitting, could provide clarification. REFERENCES
AFTHINOS, Y., THEODORAKIS, N. D., & NASSIS, P. (2005) Customers' expectations of service in Greek fitness centers: gender, age, type of sport center, and motivation differences. Managing Service Quality, 15(3), 245-258. Retrieved at http://dx.doi.org/1.1108/ 09604520510597809. AHMAD, R., & BUTTLE, F. (2004) Customer retention management: a reflection of theory and practice. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 20(3), 149-161. Retrieved at http:// dx.doi.org/10.1108/02634500210428003. BODET, G. (2006) Investigating customer satisfaction in a health club context by an application of the tetraclasse model. European Sport Management Quarterly, 6(2), 149165. Retrieved at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16184740600954148. BODET, G. (2012) Loyalty in sport participation service: an examination of the mediating role of psychological commitment. Journal of Sport Management, 36, 30-42. Retrieved at http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/08876041111129209. BODET, G., & MEURGEY, B. (2002) Sports associative services and satisfaction: an exploratory study. Revue Europeenne De Management Du Sport, 8, 207-236. CHRISTOPHER, M., PAYNE, A., & BALLANTYNE, D. (1993) Relationship marketing: bringing quality, customer service and marketing together. Oxford, England: Butterworth-Heinemann. Retrieved at http://dx.doi.org/1.1016/0969-5931(95)90007-1. DÁVILA, C. D., & GONZÁLEZ, B. (2009) Financial crisis and health. Gaceta Sanitaria, 23(4), 261-265. Retrieved at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gaceta.2009.04.003. DHURUP, M., & SURUJLAL, J. (2010) A descriptive and factor analytical study of salient retention strategies in commercial health and fitness centres. African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 16(2), 184-203. Retrieved at http://dx.doi.org/ 10.4314/ajpherd.v16i2.55958. GREENWELL, T. P., FINK, J. S., & PASTORE, D. L. (2002) Perceptions of the service experience: using demographic and psychographic variables to identify customer segments. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 11(4), 233-241. HASKELL, W. L., LEE, I. M., PATE, R. R., POWELL, K. E., BLAIR, S. N., FRANKLIN, B. A., MACERA, C. A., HEATH, G. W., THOMPSON, P. D., & BAUMAN, A. (2007) Physical activity and public health: updated recommendation for adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 39(8), 1423-1434. Retrieved at http://dx.doi.org/10.1249/ mss.0b013e3180616b27.
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KIM, M., & TRAIL, G. T. (2010) The effects of service provider employment status and service quality exchange on perceived organizational image and purchase intention. Sport Management Review, 13(3), 225-234. Retrieved at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j. smr.2009.06.001. KYLE, G. T., THEODORAKIS, N. D., KARAGEORGIOU, A., & LAFAZANI, M. (2010) The effect of service quality on customer loyalty within the context of ski resorts. Journal of Park & Recreation Administration, 28(1), 1-15. LINDGREEN, A., DAVIS, R., BRODIE, R. J., & BUCHANAN-OLIVER, M. (2000) Pluralism in contemporary marketing practices. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 18(6), 294308. Retrieved at http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02652320010358715. LOVELOCK, C., & WIRTZ, J. (2007) Services marketing: people, technology, strategy. (6th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice-Hall. MARTÍNEZ, J. A., YONG, J. K., & MARTÍNEZ, L. (2010) An application of fuzzy logic to service quality research: a case of fitness service. Journal of Sport Management, 24(5), 502-523. MAYERS, A. (2005) Factors influencing program adherence. Fitness Business Canada, 6(4), 40-41. MCDOUGALL, G. H., & LEVESQUE, T. (2000) Customer satisfaction with services: putting perceived value into the equation. Journal of Services Marketing, 14(5), 392-410. Retrieved at http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/08876040010340937. MURRAY, D., & HOWAT, G. (2002) The relationships among service quality, value, satisfaction, and future intentions of customers at an Australian sports and leisure centre. Sport Management Review, 5(1), 25-43. Retrieved at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1441-3523 (02)70060-0. NUVIALA, A., GRAO-CRUCES, A., PÉREZ-TURPIN, J. A., & NUVIALA, R. (2012) Quality, satisfaction and perceived value in groups of users of sports organizations in Spain. Kinesiology, 44(1), 94-103. NUVIALA, A., TEVA-VILLÉN, M. R., GRAO-CRUCES, A., PÉREZ-ORDÁS, R., GARCÍA-FERNÁNDEZ, J., & NUVIALA, R. (2012) Validity, reliability and exploratory factor analysis of the quitting scale in sport centres. Journal of Human Sport and Exercise, 7(1), 275-286. Retrieved at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1441-3523(02)70060-0. PARDO, A., & RUIZ, M. A. (2002) SPSS 11. Guide data analysis. Madrid, Spain: McGraw-Hill. PETT, M. A. (1997) Nonparametric statistics for health care research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. PICÓN, E., & VARELA, J. (2000) Segmentando mercados con análisis conjunto. Una aplicación al sector turístico [Segmenting markets with conjoint analysis: an application to tourism]. Psicothema, 12(Suppl. 2), 453-458. RAVALD, A., & GRÖNROSS, C. (1996) The value concept and relationship marketing. Euro–pean Journal of Marketing, 30(2), 19-30. Retrieved at http://dx.doi.org/10. 1108/03090569610106626. RUIZ, F., GARCÍA, M. E., & DÍAZ, A. (2007) Analysis of motivations of practice of physical activity and of sport abandonment in La Habana (Cuba). Anales de Psicología, 23(1), 152-166. SHONK, D. J., & CHELLADURAI, P. (2009) Model of service quality in event sport tourism: development of a scale. International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 6(3), 292-307. Retrieved at http://dx.doi.org/10.1504/IJSMM.2009.029090. SODERLUND, M. (2006) Measuring customer loyalty with multi-item scales. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 17(1), 76-98. Retrieved at http://dx.doi. org/10.1108/09564230610651598.
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WESTERBEEK, H. M., & SHILBURY, D. (2003) A conceptual model for sport services marketing research: integrating quality, value and satisfaction. International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship, 5(1), 11-31. Accepted December 2, 2013.
APPENDIX ITEMS ON THE LIST OF REASONS FOR QUITTING AFTER CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS AND CATEGORIES TO WHICH THEY BELONG
Factor
Item
Satisfaction Because the sports staff do not pay enough attention to clients Because I do not receive enough attention in the classes and/or fitness rooms Enjoyment Because I do not like going to the sports center Because I do not enjoy coming to the sports center Because coming to the sports center does not motivate me Exercising
Because it is very crowded Because there is not enough sports equipment Because there is not enough strength and cardiovascular training equipment
Financial
Because I think the price is expensive Because I think the membership fee is expensive
Leisure
Because I have not met anyone interesting Because I have other more interesting leisure options
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DURATION OF MEMBERSHIP AT SPORTS CENTERS AND REASONS FOR QUITTING1, 2 ALBERTO NUVIALA, ALBERTO GRAO-CRUCES, AND ROSARIO TEVA-VILLÉN Faculty of Sport Science University Pablo de Olavide JOSE A. PÉREZ-TURPIN
RAQUEL PÉREZ-ORDÁS
Faculty of Education University of Alicante
Faculty of Sport Science University Pablo de Olavide
JAVIER A. TAMAYO-FAJARDO Faculty of Education University of Huelva Summary.—Reasons for quitting membership at a sports center and their relation with socio-demographic characteristics and duration of membership were investigated. 642 individuals (55.4% men, 44.6% women), who had recently quit membership at a Spanish sports center, completed a questionnaire. There were significant differences in reasons for quitting on age, occupation, type of activities, and time spent on membership activities. The main reason was financial, regardless of the duration of membership.
It is evident that acquiring and retaining customers are at the core of many successful service organizations (e.g., Lovelock & Wirtz, 2007), and sports centers are no exception. Christopher, Payne, and Ballantyne (1993) asserted that traditionally managers pay more attention to recruiting new members than to retaining members. However, the perspective of relationship marketing has focused on customer retention (Christopher, et al., 1993; Ahmad & Buttle, 2004; Dhurup & Surujlal, 2010). Studies show that retention of loyal members is cheaper than acquiring new members (Ravald & Grönross, 1996; Lindgreen, Davis, Brodie, & Buchanan-Oliver, 2000; Ahmad & Buttle, 2004). Customer loyalty has been studied from different perspectives in commercial organizations, but in the field of sport organizations most of the researches are focused on the link between service quality and customer retention (e.g., Murray & Howat, 2002). This theoretical framework argues that service quality is a direct precursor to customer satisfaction Address correspondence to Alberto Nuviala, Faculty of Sport Science, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera, Km. 1, CP 41013 Sevilla, España or e-mail ([email protected]). 2 The authors would like to express their thanks to the University Teaching Staff Training Programme run by the Spanish Ministry of Education. 1
DOI 10.2466/06.PMS.117x32z3
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(Bodet & Meurgey, 2002; Murray & Howat, 2002; Shonk & Chelladurai, 2009; Kyle, Theodorakis, Karageorgiou, & Lafazani, 2010), which in turn influences the future intentions of customers (Murray & Howat, 2002; Westerbeek & Shilbury, 2003; Kim & Trail, 2010; Kyle, et al., 2010). In this context, is important to take care with the tangible elements of the facilities and with the attitudes and skills of the staff, because service quality depends on these elements (Afthinos, Theodorakis, & Nassis, 2005; Bodet, 2006; Kim & Trail, 2010). Another key element in this framework is the perceived value, a variable affected by service quality and price, which has been described as an important factor mediating between service quality and customer satisfaction, and is a determinant of customers' future intentions (McDougall & Levesque, 2000; Murray & Howat, 2002). Bodet (2012) noted that intentions do not always correspond with behaviors, and advocated the use of behavioral loyalty measures. Length of membership is an important indicator of loyalty (Soderlund, 2006), and is a concern for sports centers (Martínez, Yong, & Martínez, 2010). Mayers (2005) noted high attrition rates in the fitness industry, especially during the first months of membership, leading Nuviala, Teva-Villén, GraoCruces, Pérez-Ordás, García-Fernández, and Nuviala (2012) to design a questionnaire to assess the reasons for attrition. There are few studies of attrition reasons at sports centers. Customer characteristics are important to retention of members in any commercial organization (Picón & Varela, 2000). For this reason, sociodemographic and other characteristics related with the use of sports centers may also affect duration of membership. Activities chosen by members are related with the assessment of service quality (Nuviala, Grao-Cruces, Pérez-Turpin, & Nuviala, 2012). Frequency of use is related with customer loyalty (Bodet, 2012). This study was designed to identify the reasons for attrition given by customers who quit their memberships at sports centers, and whether reasons are related to duration of membership. Another goal was to relate duration of membership with sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, level of education, and occupation) and use of the sports center (type of activity, frequency of use, daily time of use, and time of day). Two hypotheses were posed: Hypothesis 1. Customers who quit their membership at sports centers are sociodemographically different according to the length of membership before quitting their memberships. Hypothesis 2. The main reasons for quitting memberships at sports centers are related to dissatisfaction with staff and with tangible elements of the facilities, irrespective of duration of membership.
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METHOD Participants The sample consisted of 642 individuals (356 men, 286 women; M age = 30.1 yr., SD = 9.8) who had quit their membership at a public management sports center located in a major Spanish city. The participants' education was 79.2% post-secondary and 1.3% basic secondary education. The public sports center charged monthly 42€ for the general public and 26€ for members of the university community. Measures Attrition scale in sport centers (Nuviala, Teva-Villén, et al., 2012) comprises 22 items across five factors (Financial, Exercising, Satisfaction, Enjoyment, and Leisure). Preliminary reliability and validity were acceptable. In the current study, a confirmatory factor analysis indicated five factors and 12 items (see Appendix) (GFI = .97, AGFI = 0.95, NFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.96, CFI = .98, IFI = 0.97, RMR = 0.06, RMSEA = 0.04, AIC = 171.56; ECVI = 0.268, χ2 = 103.56; χ2/df = 2.35). Items were rated on a 5-point Likert scale, with anchors 1: Totally agree and 5: Totally disagree. Cronbach's α coefficient in the present study was .89. This scale was complemented with a number of sociodemographic items (sex, age, education, occupation, type of sports activity, time spent on sport daily, and normal time to visit the sports center) and a question asking how long the participant had been a member at the sports center. Procedure The questionnaire was administered 10 to 15 days after participants quit their memberships. A group of interviewers who had been trained in surveying techniques administered the questionnaire. Participants were asked for their collaboration and encouraged to raise any concerns they may have had. It took approximately 10 min. to complete each questionnaire. Before starting to gather data, permission was sought from those in charge of the organisation where the study was carried out and all participants agreed to take part voluntarily. Analysis The data were analysed after it had been tabulated and transferred to a computer using the SPSS 2.0. Normality and heteroscedasticity were assessed. The data obtained were homogenous (Box’s M test, p = .45) and non-normally distributed (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test indicated for all variables p < .001); however, due to the large number of participants in the study, parametric tests were used, as it is well known that this type of statistical analysis provides acceptable results with large samples (n > 30 in each analysis group) even though the sample is non-normal, based on the central limit theorem (Pett, 1997; Pardo & Ruiz, 2002).
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A descriptive analysis was carried out. Inferential analysis was then performed using contingency tables and the χ2 contrast test, along with repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni post hoc tests to assess whether the duration of membership was related to reasons for quitting. RESULTS Average duration of membership at the sports center for users who quit was 12.9 mo. (SD = 16.3). The 40.2% of users who quit their membership did so after being there for less than 4 mo., 26.9% stayed with the center for 4 to 12 mo., while the remaining 32.9% had been paid members for longer than 12 mo. A relationship was found between duration of membership at the sports center before quitting and the variables relating to age, occupation, type of sports activity chosen, and time spent at the sports center per day. Older individuals, pensioners, and employees, who carried out activities in the water with music, and those who spent from 31 to 90 min. exercising each day had the longest membership at the sports center (Table 1). Financial factors were perceived as the most important causes of quitting, and also the chosen sport activity. Significant differences in duration of membership were only found in the category Exercising (Table 2). DISCUSSION Financial reasons were the main cause of attrition for sport centers members, irrespective of duration of membership. The results confirm Hypothesis 1. Membership was significantly longer among older members. Greenwell, Fink, and Pastore (2002) found that younger individuals were more critical of a sports center's physical facilities, the core product, and staff, and consequently had less loyalty (Murray & Howat, 2002). Retirees and, to a lesser extent, employed people had longer membership, possibly explained by their greater financial stability when compared with students and the unemployed. This statement is consistent with the results of Greenwell, et al. (2002), who found that people with lower incomes were more critical of various aspects of sports services. Consistent with Hypothesis 2, customers’ chosen activities were related to duration of membership. Members who did aquatic activities with music may have perceived higher quality of facilities (Nuviala, Grao-Cruces, et al., 2012). Clients who satisfied international physical activity guidelines for health (Haskell, Lee, Pate, Powell, Blair, Franklin, et al., 2007) with their activities at the sports center had longer membership durations than those who did not reach the minimum recommended level. With regard to the reasons for quitting, the results point to financial motives, regardless of membership duration. Although, this does not sup-
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SPORTS CENTER MEMBERSHIP DURATION
TABLE 1 DURATION OF MEMBERSHIP BEFORE QUITTING THE SPORTS CENTER AND SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES Duration, % Demographic Sex Age
Education
Occupation
286
40.3a
24.8a
34.9a
Female
356
40.2
29.4
30.4a
Under 26
262
54.6a
22.9b
22.5 b
From 26 to 45
322
32.3a
32.6b
35.1b
From 46 to 65
55
20.0a
14.5a
65.5b
Over 65
3
A
A
100.0a
No education
2
A
50.0
50.0a
Primary
7
33.3
A
66.7a
Secondary
125
University Employed
a
a
37.4
31.3
a
31.3a
508
34.8a
29.0a
36.2a
304
22.1a
34.3b
43.6b
A
A
100.0a
5
a
30.3a
27.3a
42.4a
Student
282
51.0
25.3
b
23.8b
Housework
9
11.1a
11.1a
77.8a
Others
7
50.0
25.0
25.0a
216
44.4
28.3
27.2a
Dry land music
Water no music
a
a a
a a
25
14.3a
23.8a,b
61.9b
227
29.5a
28.4b
42.1b 16.7
χ2
df
Φ
2.21
2
0.05
65.55†
6
0.32
5.51
6
0.97
68.26†
10
0.34
46.81†
8
0.29
4.72
8
0.14
10
0.18
10
0.16
58
41.7
41.7
Independent users
116
59.8a
13.4b
26.8b
4 or more times a week
117
a
41.1
29.7
29.1a
2–3 times a week
394
38.9
a
27.9
a
33.2a
77
38.0a
19.7a
42.3a
15 to 30 min.
17
40.0a
46.7a
13.3a
31 to 60 min.
164
36.4a,b 22.2b
41.4a
61 to 90 min.
287
36.8
31.9
31.2a,b 17.23*
91 to 120 min.
145
Over 120 min.
Once a week
Time of day
a
35
Dry land no music
Daily time
a
Unemployed
Water music
Weekly frequency
< ≥ 4 to > 4 mo. 12 mo. 12 mo.
Male
Retired/Pensioner
Activity
n
a,b
a
b
a
b
a
46.9
23.8
a
29.4a
29
51.9a
18.5a
29.6a
Evening
247
40.2
29.3
a
30.5a
Afternoon
a
a
145
42.4a
29.9a
27.8a
Midday
61
40.0a
16.7a
43.3a
Morning
110
40.9a
28.2a
30.9a
12.49
No set time 79 32.9a 21.5a 45.6a Note.—Equal superscripts indicate a subset of column categories whose proportions do not differ significantly at the .05 level. A = no data. *p < .05. †p < .01.
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A. NUVIALA, ET AL. TABLE 2 REASONS FOR QUITTING MEMBERSHIP AT THE CENTER AND DURATION OF MEMBERSHIP Demographic
Satisfaction
Enjoyment
Exercising
Financial
Leisure
M
SD 1.17
1
1.83
2
1.66
1.11
3
1.77
1.19
Total
1.76
1.16
1
1.83
0.97
2
1.67
0.99
3
1.68
0.91 0.96
Total
1.74
1
2.21
1.21
2
1.93
1.10
3
1.99
1.11
Total
2.06
1.15
1
2.74
1.44
2
2.56
1.53
3
2.89
1.52 1.49
Total
2.74
1
1.79
0.87
2
1.65
0.81
3
1.74
0.85
F2
p
ES
Post hoc
0.96
.38
0.00
ns
1.99
.13
0.00
ns
3.25
.03
0.01
1 vs 2
2.00
.13
0.00
ns
1.25
.28
0.00
ns
Total 1.74 0.85 Note.—1: less than 4 mo.; 2: Over 4 to 12 mo.; 3: Over 12 mo.
port Hypothesis 1, Ruiz, García, and Díaz (2007) reported financial factors as one of the causes for quitting from a physical or sports activity, whether formally organised or not. The costs of the services offered by sports centers are presumably higher than physical or sports activities in other contexts, which could explain the greater importance the current participants placed on financial factors. In the context of the current Spanish financial crisis, the perception of excessive cost is problematic (Dávila & González, 2009). Financial conditions affect purchasing power but also limit the ability of the sports center to reduce prices. An obvious example of this in Spain is the recent 13% increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) for the sports sector. There is no consensus on the financial factor being the only reason for quitting membership (Nuviala, Teva-Villén, et al., 2012). Among other reasons, the most interesting factor grouped together items related to the physical or sports activity itself, such as overcrowding and the amount of equipment available. This category, Exercising, was the only one to show significant differences with relation to membership duration. It was seen
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739
to be more significant among those who had not been registered with the center for more than three months, which reveals to managers the importance of improving those elements (Nuviala, Grao-Cruces, et al., 2012), especially for those activities where newly registered users predominate. The main limitation of this study was the fact that the sample consisted of clients who had quit from one specific sports center in one specific city. However, one of the strong points of this study is that it is based on a considerable number of participants. Future studies could assess public and private sports centers with different marketing strategies. Studying the relationship between the reasons for quitting membership and the time of year, as well as value judgements prior to quitting, could provide clarification. REFERENCES
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WESTERBEEK, H. M., & SHILBURY, D. (2003) A conceptual model for sport services marketing research: integrating quality, value and satisfaction. International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship, 5(1), 11-31. Accepted December 2, 2013.
APPENDIX ITEMS ON THE LIST OF REASONS FOR QUITTING AFTER CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS AND CATEGORIES TO WHICH THEY BELONG
Factor
Item
Satisfaction Because the sports staff do not pay enough attention to clients Because I do not receive enough attention in the classes and/or fitness rooms Enjoyment Because I do not like going to the sports center Because I do not enjoy coming to the sports center Because coming to the sports center does not motivate me Exercising
Because it is very crowded Because there is not enough sports equipment Because there is not enough strength and cardiovascular training equipment
Financial
Because I think the price is expensive Because I think the membership fee is expensive
Leisure
Because I have not met anyone interesting Because I have other more interesting leisure options
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