Membership businesses run on two numbers: how many members joined this month, and how many canceled. Net new membership is the growth metric that matters. Most boutique studios find out last week’s number on the first of the month; by then the momentum is gone.
A live membership counter on the front-desk TV changes the culture of the whole business.
The three counters
For membership businesses, the strongest setup is three counters running simultaneously:
- New members this month (the growth metric)
- Cancellations this month (the churn metric)
- Net new members (the bottom line)
The TV can rotate between all three, or display the headline “net new” with the other two as sub-counters.
Source: your management system
Most boutique fitness businesses run on one of:
- Mindbody (Zapier triggers, API for partners)
- ClubReady (direct webhook + Zapier)
- Glofox (direct webhook available)
- Zen Planner (Zapier)
- PushPress (API and Zapier)
- WellnessLiving (Zapier)
Plus the payment processor underneath, usually Stripe. Most studios connect both: the practice-management system for the membership-signed event, and Stripe for the payment actually completing.
Setup
- Create the three counters: new-members-monthly, cancellations-monthly, net-new (calculated as signups minus cancels).
- Connect your PMS via Zapier or direct webhook. Subscribe to membership-created, membership-canceled events.
- Set a monthly goal. Studios usually target 15-30 new members per month per 100 existing; pick your target.
- Pair a Fire Stick at the front desk. (Not in the gym floor, unless the team specifically wants members to see the number.)
The ring-a-bell tradition
Some gyms literally have a physical bell at the front desk that staff ring on every new membership. The PingBell (ahem) equivalent is a custom sound — usually a literal bell — that plays on every signup. Every trainer hears it. The room shifts.
Hold / freeze handling
Membership pauses and freezes are their own category. Most gyms track them as a separate counter (“members on freeze”) rather than subtracting from the signup total. The reason: holds are temporary but cancellations are permanent, and you don’t want the TV to conflate them.
Class attendance as a bonus counter
Many studios add a “classes attended today” counter alongside the membership counters. This one’s visible to members in the lobby — it’s a public-facing metric that signals activity. On busy days the counter creates energy; on slow days it creates urgency.
Multi-location franchises
If you run multiple studios, each location gets its own counter plus a network total. Corporate sees the network; each studio sees its own.
The trainer reality check
One warning specific to fitness: if your trainers aren’t involved in membership growth (they don’t sell, don’t ask for referrals, don’t run events), a signup counter on the TV won’t change anything. It’ll just be ambient noise.
The counter works when trainers can affect it. If they can’t, fix that first: train them on referral-asking, give them a small commission, make growth part of their job. Then install the TV. The counter becomes the reinforcement loop.
Start here
Pick your PMS. Connect via Zapier. Create three counters (signups, cancels, net). Plug in a Fire Stick. Start a free trial and the next signup will ring a bell.
Related: gym membership counter solution.