Case Study

UFC Gym is the world leader in MMA-inspired fitness. With locations all over the world, they empower people to find their fit through unique classes and high-intensity workouts.

In the discovery phase, we uncovered a few problems.

1. Their brand image spoke to the professional fighter and serious athlete, but proved to be inaccessible for the average person.
2. Various sections of the website were owned by multiple teams and franchisees, without a process and owner for brand cohesiveness, usability, and QA.
3. Over time, many visual materials became inconsistent, depending on who in the organization produced them.

One of our goals was to increase online conversions allowing users to find a program suited to their needs. The user should be able to continue through the sales funnel by either checking out online or visiting a club.

Based on the client's sales numbers, the best way to convert was for people to visit the gym. Ultimately, the goal is to acquire more customers online and convert them in person with a gym tour. This way, people can see and feel the vibe of the gym and become part of the community.

With the first Content Strategy sprint, we started with an analytics audit. The audit revealed Visitors enter the site through MMA & boxing pages. The audit reaffirmed that MMA and Boxing content is top of mind, but also uncovered some untapped audiences, including parents exploring youth classes. More and more visitors are exploring general fitness and group classes, showing UFC appeals to a wide group of customers.

We leaned into this data, recommending turning up digital marketing to focus on these entry points while showing boxing and MMA content front and center with unexpected participants.

Since location pages are highly visited and have lower bounce rates, we allowed individual locations to manage their content with an approval to publish process. Franchises get more flexibility to include their biggest sales magnets like specials and new, on-trend classes. Guest passes and discounts promoted by individual locations proved key to getting people through the door. With UFC’s strong commitment to community, we empowered each gym to own its unique identity to bolster community pride.

UFC Gym needed a design system that allowed their team to seamlessly update their website and digital products while bringing continuity to their brand.

With a solid brand foundation, we designed a lighter, fresher UFC Gym. Each component conforms to AA Accessibility standards, critical flows were usability tested, with documented maintenance plans.

In understanding the value of precise analytics, we concluded this engagement with the implementation of Google Analytics. The UFC Gym team now has the ability to run internal testing and keep tabs on their site performance, ensuring that they consistently have the tools needed to optimize over time.