Most studio owners have a love-hate relationship with ClassPass.
On one hand, it can be a fantastic source of new customers. It helps people discover your studio, fills classes that might otherwise have empty spots, and can be particularly valuable when you're launching a new location or trying to build awareness in a new area.
On the other hand, it can be frustrating to see a class full of people who have booked through ClassPass while your own memberships and class packs aren't growing at the same pace.
The reality is that ClassPass isn't the problem. The challenge is what happens after someone discovers your studio.
The studios that get the most value from ClassPass aren't the ones trying to get rid of it. They're the ones with a clear strategy for turning ClassPass users into loyal customers who book directly.
Think of ClassPass as a Marketing Channel
The easiest way to look at ClassPass is as a customer acquisition tool.
If someone finds your studio through Instagram, Google, a referral, or ClassPass, the outcome you're looking for is the same. You want them to enjoy the experience enough to come back again.
The mistake many studios make is assuming that because someone attended a class, they'll naturally become a member.
In reality, most people need a reason to leave the convenience of the marketplace and engage directly with your brand.
That's where your systems, customer experience, and retention strategy become critical.
Make Direct Booking Feel Better Than ClassPass
If booking directly feels harder than booking through ClassPass, most customers won't switch.
This sounds obvious, but it's often overlooked. Many studios invest heavily in creating an incredible in-person experience while the digital experience feels disconnected from the brand. A branded app changes that.
When members can book classes, manage memberships, join waitlists, purchase products, and engage with your studio through an app that carries your branding, you're creating a much stronger relationship than a third-party marketplace ever can.
Every interaction reinforces your brand rather than someone else's. Over time, that matters. The strongest studio brands don't just own the experience inside the studio. They own the experience outside of it too.
Give Customers a Reason to Book Direct
Most people won't switch platforms simply because you want them to. You need to create incentives. This doesn't necessarily mean offering discounts. In fact, constantly discounting can create more problems than it solves. Instead, think about the benefits that only direct members receive.
This could include:
- Early access to new class launches
- Priority booking windows
- Member-only events
- Exclusive challenges
- Referral rewards
- Loyalty programmes
- Guest passes
- Special retail offers
The goal is to make direct membership feel like joining a community rather than simply purchasing classes.
Use Loyalty to Build Habits
One of the biggest advantages studios have over marketplaces is the ability to build long-term loyalty. ClassPass is designed around discovery and convenience. Your studio should be designed around belonging. The more reasons members have to engage with your brand, the less likely they are to view every class as interchangeable.
Loyalty programmes can be particularly effective here. Reward members for attendance milestones, celebrate consistency, recognise referrals, create challenges that encourage people to stay engaged. People love progress, recognition, and feeling part of something bigger than themselves.Those are things a marketplace struggles to deliver.
Capture and Use Your Customer Data
One of the biggest risks of becoming overly reliant on ClassPass is that you lose visibility into your customer journey. Who attends most often? Who hasn't visited for three weeks?Who's attended ten classes but hasn't purchased a membership? Who regularly brings friends? Without that information, it's difficult to build meaningful retention strategies.
Studios that actively track member behaviour are able to create much more personalised experiences. A member who hasn't attended for two weeks might receive a check-in email, someone who has attended five times in a month might receive an invitation to upgrade to a membership. A loyal customer might be rewarded with a guest pass to bring a friend. These small moments add up over time.
Turn First-Time Visitors Into Long-Term Members
The first class should never be the end of the journey. Whether someone arrives through ClassPass, Google, Instagram, or a referral, there should be a clear plan for what happens next.
That might include:
- A welcome email after their first visit
- An introduction to your memberships
- An invitation to download your branded app
- A special offer after multiple visits
- A follow-up message if they haven't returned
The studios that convert the highest percentage of first-time visitors aren't necessarily delivering better classes, they're simply more intentional about the follow-up.
How CodexFit Helps
At CodexFit, we work with studios that use ClassPass successfully every day. The difference is that they don't rely on it to do everything, they use ClassPass for discoverability while using CodexFit to strengthen direct relationships with members.
Through branded apps, memberships, loyalty programmes, automations, referrals, waitlists, and customer insights, studios can create a customer experience that encourages members to engage directly with their brand. Because ultimately, the goal isn't to eliminate ClassPass, it's to ensure that every customer who discovers your studio has a clear path to becoming part of your community. That's where the real value is created, not in the first booking, in the second, tenth, and hundredth.