According to a survey conducted by Almathe fastest growing scale-up retail-tech in Europe in installment payments, Italians are sedentary also due to the price that sports require.
In fact, despite the fact that 90.8% of Italians believe that physical exercise is essential for the well-being of mind and body, Italy ranks only in 18th place out of 27 among the Eurobarometer statistics relating to the practice of sport in Europe in the 2022. A discrepancy between will and significant reality, which seems to find an explanation in the costs associated with sporting practice.
Faced with the question “do you consider the budget an obstacle to starting a sporting activity”, 52% of those interviewed by Alma answered “yes” without a shadow of a doubt; and it is still the price that ranks at the top of the reasons for not starting a sport (46%), second only to the geographical distance (54%) and the lack of time to devote to the activity (59%), but faced with reasons such as laziness (44%) and lack of interest (36%).
“The price and payment method is certainly one of the most considered elements when activating a gym membership, whether it is a course or a subscription – he confirms Adrian Silvestri, CTO and Co-Founder of Urban Fitnessone of the most innovative gym chains in Italy and partner of Alma in the sports segment – it is a subject that concerns everyone, which is not linked only to the pure concept of cost but to a more general management of the budget and personal finances: if, on the one hand, long-term subscription formulas are preferred, also because they intrinsically guarantee continuity in the sporting activity, more and more customers are looking for flexible payment solutions, which allow the cost to be spread over or managed from the point of view of a monthly budget. 40% of our gyms’ total transactions are paid in installments, a system that has increased membership subscriptions by 20% since we introduced it. In other words: it has made sport accessible to as many people as possible”.
“The sports segment is one of those in which installment payments grow fastest, and represents one of the most relevant categories for Alma. It is the demonstration that our installment payment model is an enabler of better financial management with a view to accessing higher quality products and services, rather than hyper-consumption – comment Riccardo Schiavotto, General Manager Italy of Alma – The purchase of training packages or sports subscriptions certainly represents a significant commitment, but thanks to the deferred payment solution such as Buy Now Pay Later, we are able to make physical activity more accessible, helping to overcome the economic barriers that hinder Italians in adopting an active and healthy lifestyle.”