Women: segmenting the home fitness

equipment market
Donelda S. McKechnie, Jim Grant, Victoria Korepina and Naila Sadykova
School of Business, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this research is to question whether increased interest in exercise has truly generated a market for home fitness equipment
in which women are a viable consumer segment. It is guided by two objectives: to what extent are female consumers a viable target market segment
for home fitness equipment; and to what extent do women believe/disbelieve the advertising claims that are made about such products.
Design/methodology/approach – Data collection included in-depth interviews with salespeople at two retail sporting goods establishments.
Following questionnaire development, 400 self-administered surveys were distributed to women, only, at various locations including malls and
standalone locations such as coffee shops. Respondents were qualified with a question about frequency of exercise.
Findings – Results identify that women are a viable market. Cross tabulations and chi square significance note the associations between respondents’
age, occupation, nationality and religion and the various equipment purchased including treadmills, workout equipment, stationary cycles and
abdominal machines. Belief in advertising claims was higher for cardio equipment and least for abdominal machines. Post purchase satisfaction was
greater for products that favoured noticeable physical changes and by businesswomen who arguably, may be more discerning shoppers.
Originality/value – Undertaking this research in a country known for its extensive expatriate population enabled an international cross-sectional view
of women’s consumer behavior using the various demographics information collected. Academically, it considers constraint theory while practically, it
provides a gender specific profile for the home-use sport and fitness equipment market. Limitations include the narrow scope of four demographic
variables and four product groups.

Keywords Consumer behaviour, Market segmentation, Sports, Fitness, Women, United Arab Emirates

Paper type Research paper

An executive summary for managers and executive
readers can be found at the end of this article.
Introduction
Adopting an exercise lifestyle is in its infancy in the United
Arab Emirates. Yet, large stores selling sports and fitness
equipment are gaining a presence in many malls. Promotions
entice consumers to purchase fitness and exercise equipment
for home use.
This study questions whether increased interest in exercise
has truly generated a market for home fitness equipment.
After initial interviews with the retail sales staff of two Dubai
sports merchandise stores, the focus shifted to the female
market and the following objectives:
.
to what extent are female consumers a viable target market
segment for home fitness equipment; and
.
to what extent do women believe/disbelieve the advertising
claims that are made about such products.
Typically, previous studies have used age (Gill and Overdorf,
1994) and ethnicity (Walker et al., 2001, 2005) segmentation
variables while reasons for exercise include appearance and
health considerations (Wiley et al., 2000). This research
extends the literature to focus on gender. More specifically, it
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0736-3761.htm
Journal of Consumer Marketing
24/1 (2007) 18– 26
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 0736-3761]
[DOI 10.1108/07363760710720957]
is about the purchase behavior of women using age,
nationality, occupation and religion demographics as
descriptors. Cultural and societal factors (Shaw, 1994;
Deem and Gilroy, 1998) have the potential to influence the
purchase and use of home exercise equipment although such
concerns are not central to the purpose of this paper.
Academically, this research contributes to constraint theory
through the need “. . . to better understand the leisure
situation of women with different cultural backgrounds and
different life experiences” (Shaw, 1994, p. 18). Practically,
this study notes that little attention has previously been paid
to developing a profile of the women who are purchasing
home-use sport and fitness equipment. The added value of
this research is its international locale and cultural
considerations given that the fitness trend is moving east.
From a practitioner perspective, this study provides
valuable information about segmenting female consumer
groups. The United Arab Emirates is a country of expatriates
which facilitates participation by respondents with varied
ethnicity. The comparison is important for the international
and global development of the industry.
The USA market as a benchmark
Comparatively, the American market is at a mature stage of
development. By 1998, more than 50 million Americans had
purchased equipment for home and were expected to drive
sales upwards by over 7 percent per year until 2003 from the
$4 billion already spent (Flanagan, 1998). Infomercials and
claims of successful results have attributed to consumer
adoption of home exercise equipment (Morse, 1999;
Schroeder, 1997; Halverson, 1996). It has helped, also, that

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 Women: segmenting the home fitness equipment market
Donelda S. McKechnie, Jim Grant, Victoria Korepina and Naila Sadykova
the aging population has taken a keen interest in retaining
their youth through physical activity (Herek, 2002).
However, the home market also has a downside. After
purchasing exercise equipment more than 33 percent of
consumers acknowledged that they had stopped using the
apparatus and more than 90 percent said they had no
intention of making similar purchases in future (Flanagan,
1998). Of interest for study would be if these figures represent
people disillusioned by the manufacturers’ claims, whether
they found themselves unable to achieve the results
advertised, or they were more discriminating after hearing
of various legal battles.
The UAE sports equipment market is not as developed as
the American industry although in 2002 the total fitness
industry was valued in excess of US$27,000,000 and growing
at 15 percent annually. Increasingly sporting goods stores are
carrying more and more top brand-name home fitness
equipment even though infomercials are not a prominent
medium for promoting consumer products. There is
evidence, however, that consumers are becoming more
aware of living a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise
programs and balanced diet (forthcoming). Thus, if American
figures are taken as indicators, the UAE market is potentially
lucrative for manufacturers and retail establishments that
promote and sell home fitness equipment.
Literature review
Gender focused studies have typically examined exercise
patterns according to such segmentation variables as age (Gill
and Overdorf, 1994) and ethnicity (Walker et al. (2001). In
the first instance, the Gill and Overdorf (1994) study about
gender and age is notable for the “why women exercise”
findings. Respondents are grouped into four age categories:
under 31 years, 31-40 years, 41-50 years, and 51-60 years.
The results show that women under 50 tend to consider
exercise as a way to control weight whereas, as they age,
women seek more social interaction. Appearance is important
to all categories. Women, 31-50 years, value the stress relief
that comes with physical activity and as they get older, they
exercise to improve mental health. Gill and Overdorf (1994)
conclude that promotions which are directed at women must
distinguish between age groups as the incentives to exercise
are sufficiently different to warrant using different targeting
activities.
Walker et al. (2001) use ethnicity characteristics to
distinguish between respondent motivations to participate in
physical activities. For example, they explain values to be
either individual or interdependent depending on one’s
cultural and ethnic background. Thus, western ethnic
groups tend to be individual whereas Far East and Middle
East tend to be interdependent (Walker et al., 2005). The
2001 study findings indicate that ethnicity does play a part in
exercise motivations. A limitation, however, is that when
ethnicity is used as a segmentation variable then
homogenization is assumed, i.e. that all ethnic groups can
be assessed using the same benchmarks, and differences are
not considered.
Other studies have shown that physical activity is generally
more prevalent amongst those with exercise equipment in the
home (Baker et al., 2000), treadmills are better than
stationary bikes for burning calories (Tufts University Diet
and Nutrition Letter, 1996) and the amount of equipment in
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Journal of Consumer Marketing
Volume 24 · Number 1 · 2007 · 18 –26
the home may be an indicator of physical activity level (Jakici
et al., 1997), duration and intensity (Reed and Phillips, 2005).
Notably, these studies address whether respondents engage in
physical activities generally rather than exercise specifically.
When asked which gender possessed the most home
equipment, there was little difference (Reed and Phillips,
2005). On the other hand, if exercise equipment is close at
hand, then it is more likely that people will engage in some
form of physical activity according to a study by Sallis et al.
(1997).
Reasons for exercising and the associated outcomes are
discussed in various studies (Cash et al., 1994; Thompson
and Hirschman, 1995; Koivula, 1999). Consistently, weight
control and appearance are found to be important factors
when making gender distinctions about exercise involvement,
(Wiley et al., 2000) while feminist empowerment through
exercise participation has also received attention (Mutrie and
Choie, 2000).
When considering women’s physical activities the question
of what constitutes sport, exercise and/or leisure is
introduced. Deem and Gilroy (1998, p. 89) address this
issue noting that “. . . women’s participation in sport should be
viewed as part of women’s leisure, enjoyment and relaxation,
rather than as an endeavour which is primarily about
achieving good health and physical fitness”. Thus, the use
of time and/or the need to make time may influence the
choice of activities that women pursue (Deem, 1986). This
discussion in the literature arguably lends itself to the study of
why women choose to work out at home rather than to join a
fitness club. Other factors, equally important when addressing
women’s participation in physical activities, are the socio-
economic as well as the demographics of family makeup, age,
education, etc. (Deem, 1986).
However, why women choose to work out at home rather
than join a club may or may not be the result of cultural and/
or social constraints (Deem and Gilroy, 1998). Shaw (1994)
suggests that time, finances, lack of opportunities/facilities or
family obligations have the potential, jointly or severally, to
impede women from engaging in leisure activities. More
relevant to this paper is Shaw’s (1994) explanation that a
patriarchal society has norms that constrain women within the
gender structure. Such conditions, then, would preclude
women’s engagement in activities that are counter to the
values of the culture. For example, women would be
constrained from participating in fitness and exercise at
venues where men other than family members may be
present.
Thus, societal and cultural forces may constrain some
women from engaging in activities that are deemed to be
inappropriate (Shaw, 1994) such as joining a fitness club
outside the home. By engaging in exercise activities within the
home, using apparatus similar to what is available in
commercial venues, then women may be able to challenge
the preconceived and traditional notions of the culture. Under
such circumstances, understanding the atheoretical research
outcomes (Henderson et al., 2004) of what women buy,
whether they believe the advertising, and the extent to which
they are satisfied are important issues for marketing practice.
Methodology
Data collection included interviews with sales staff in retail
sporting good outlets as well as soliciting responses to a
 Women: segmenting the home fitness equipment market Journal of Consumer Marketing
Donelda S. McKechnie, Jim Grant, Victoria Korepina and Naila Sadykova Volume 24 · Number 1 · 2007 · 18 –26

questionnaire. In the first instance, three sporting goods .

workout equipment; and
stores in two busy shopping malls were visited. The two malls .
abdominal machines
are the busiest in Dubai and the neighboring emirate of
which were the four main product categories that interest
Sharjah. Sales people were asked about products, customer
women shoppers according to the retail sales staff. In addition
trends, and market development. Information sought
included: to demographic questions, the survey asked about previous
.
the type and brand names of equipment available; purchases, satisfaction and whether they believe/disbelieve the
.
who is buying the products and why; and advertisements that promote sports equipment.
.
what they see as the growth areas for home fitness Four hundred surveys were distributed after respondents
equipment in the future. were qualified with a question about frequency of exercise.
The decision about who to approach was left to the judgment
Women became the target respondents for the surveys as the of the two trained fieldworkers. Thus, the sample is non-
salespeople indicated they appear to be more interested in probability convenience. The fieldworkers, both women,
home fitness equipment than are men. Arguably, this may be visited standalone venues and mall locations at various times
due to the patriarchal culture but it also may be related to over a ten day period until they obtained 400 usable surveys.
time availability when trying to fit the demands of family and
job/career into daily schedules. Collecting the questionnaire The respondents
data was accomplished by approaching women in coffee Four demographic questions asked for respondents’ age,
shops, restaurants, cafes, and shopping malls. 400 self- occupation, religion and nationality (Table I). With
administered surveys were completed and used. percentages for each noted in parenthesis, these categories
were further subdivided into three groups for age, and four for
Interview responses
each of occupation and religion. Nationality had five.
Products on display in the retail outlets include known brand
The four hundred respondents by age are 25 years of age
treadmills, stationary cycling machines, home-gym stations,
and younger (49 percent), 26-35 years (27 percent) and 36
stair climbers, and equipment targeting the abdominals and
years and older (24 percent). Regarding nationality, 44
hips such as Abs Trimmer, AB Slim, and Hip Shaper. The
most popular products being purchased are treadmills, AB percent answered Middle East (Arab), 17 percent said
Trimmers and crunch benches. The sales staff said that European/UK, 7 percent are North American, 20 percent
consumers are aware of these products and have respect for identified themselves as sub-continent Asian and 12 percent
the quality and the actual results. listed “other” countries such as Africa, the Far East and
The sales staff explained that UAE stores do not advertise Austral-Asia.
particular products; it is the responsibility of the Four occupation groupings were derived from the jobs and/
manufacturer/distributor head office to place ads on or daily activities in which the respondents said they: students
television and in magazines including the stores’ name and
location. “As Seen on TV” is printed on the boxes to attract Table I Respondent demographics with percentages within each
consumers who would not normally purchase from TV but category
will buy the same product from the store.
Generally, only purchases made by telephone have a short %
money back guarantee. Otherwise it is “all sales final” when Age
making in-store purchases. The sales staff said that customers < 25 49
rarely complain about high quality, thoughtfully purchased 26-35 27
equipment. Most of the complaining arises when people buy 36 1 24
unknown brands at relatively low prices. Post purchase
dissatisfaction included such complaints as “uncomfortable Occupation
seating” and “back and knee pains”. Also mentioned is that Students 36
some people will complain about “no results” but in reality, Employees 24
the sales staff said, this likely is related to the customer’s Housewives/other 14
eating habits and sleep timings rather than defective Business women 16
equipment.
Other comments included mention that customers who Religion
purchase abdominal machines tend to be slightly overweight Muslim 53
and have the goal of staying in or getting back into shape. As Christian 39
for ethnic segmentation, Europeans stand out as making a Hindu 4
number of purchases because they see advertisements on their Other 4
national TV channels. Treadmills and stationary cycles are Nationality
the preference of those from Arab, India and Pakistan Middle East (Arab) 44
ethnicity. Many of these consumers tend to be overweight and
European/UK 17
are looking for an active calorie burnout according to the store
North American 20
salespeople.
Sub-continent 20
Questionnaire Other (Africa, Australasia, Far East) 12
The surveys focused on: Note: Cross tabulation/chi square with the qualifying question “frequency
.
treadmills; of exercise” p ¼ 0.000; p ¼ 0.032; p ¼ 0.0000
.
cycling machines;

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 Women: segmenting the home fitness equipment market Journal of Consumer Marketing
Donelda S. McKechnie, Jim Grant, Victoria Korepina and Naila Sadykova Volume 24 · Number 1 · 2007 · 18 –26

(36 percent), employees (34 percent), housewives/other (14
percent) and business women with management/supervisory
responsibilities (16 percent).
Religious affiliations included Muslim (53 percent),
Christian (39 percent), Hindu (4 percent) and other
(4 percent) The large number of Christians is surprising
since the UAE follows Islamic traditions. Age and nationality,
age and occupation and nationality and occupation are chi
square significant, p , 0.05, for each variable pair. Only
religion has no chi square significance with the other
demographic questions.
Qualifying question
Respondents were asked the qualifying question about how
often they exercise. Its purpose was to insure that the women
did engage in physical exercise to some degree and therefore,
they are aware of the various pieces of workout equipment
used in exercise settings. The results show that for n ¼ 400,
20 percent exercise every day, 37 percent say 4-6 times a
week, 27 percent exercise 2-3 times a week and 16 percent
answered once a week or less.
When cross-tabulated with the four demographic questions,
chi square significance with frequency of exercise was
obtained for age (p ¼ 0:000), occupation (p ¼ 0:032), and
nationality (p ¼ 0:000). Religion did not meet the condition
of 20 percent of the cells with expected counts less than 5
(Table I).
The findings
The survey asked the reasons that women exercise (Table II).
24 percent said to lose weight, 41 percent want to look good,
32 percent workout to get fit and 3 percent exercise for other
reasons. These factors were taken from the literature search of
secondary data and early discussions with women in casual
conversations. Given that only 3 percent selected “other”
options is an indication that the three factors used are the
most important.
Further examination of reasons to lose weight cross
tabulated with demographics (Table II) notes that “to look
good” is a concern for 41 percent of those under 25, 40
percent of those 26-35 and 38 percent of those 36 and older.
51 percent of respondents who work without supervisory
responsibilities (employees) and 42 percent of housewives also
want to look good. When segmented by religion and
nationality, 51 percent of the Christian respondents and 64
percent of the European women answered that “to look good”
is important to them. Notable distinctions are 43 percent of
“other religion” respondents claim that to lose weight is a
reason while 50 percent of North American women and 55
percent of those from the sub-continent (Asian) say to get fit
is important. Chi square significance is achieved for age and
nationality, at p ¼ 0:05 and p ¼ 0:000 respectively, when cross
tabulated with reasons for exercise.
Objective (1): females as a viable target market
The first objective of the study asks to what extent are female
consumers a viable target market segment for home-use
fitness equipment. Respondents were asked if they had made
purchases and if so, what. 46 percent, or 172 people of
n ¼ 373, with 27 missing answers, said yes they had and 54
percent said no. In numbers, 156 of 400 respondents specified
what type of equipment they had previously purchased for
home use (Table III). Chi square significance, p ¼ 0:051 for
yes, have purchased, cross tabulated with occupation and p ¼
0:033 when yes, purchased, is cross tabulated with religion.
Of the yes responses, 32 percent had bought a treadmill, 30
percent said workout equipment, 22 percent said abdominal

Table II Reasons for exercise cross tabulated with demographics

Lose weight (24%) Look good (41%) Get fit (32%) Other reasons (3%) Total
Percentage respondents % % % % %
Age (p 5 0:05)
< 25 years 22 41 33 4 100
26-35 years 19 40 36 5 100
36 1 years 37 38 24 1 100
Occupation
Students 25 32 36 7 100
Employees 20 51 27 2 100
Housewives/other 29 42 27 2 100
Business women 30 36 34 0 100
Religion
Muslim 29 35 34 2 100
Christian 18 51 26 5 100
Hindu 20 27 53 0 100
Other 43 25 33 0 100
Nationality (p 5 0:000)
Middle East 26 41 26 7 100
European 18 64 18 0 100
North American 17 33 50 0 100
Sub-continent 23 21 55 1 100
Other 33 44 23 0 100

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 Women: segmenting the home fitness equipment market Journal of Consumer Marketing
Donelda S. McKechnie, Jim Grant, Victoria Korepina and Naila Sadykova Volume 24 · Number 1 · 2007 · 18 –26

Table III What women buy cross tabulated with demographics

Treadmills (32%) W-out equipment (30%) Stationary cycles (16%) Abs machines (22%) 100%
N 5 156, yes have purchased % % % % %
Age (p 5 0:001)
< 25 years 43 30 6 21 100
26-35 years 18 42 20 20 100
36 1 years 22 17 33 28 100
Occupation
Students 55 17 3 25 100
Employees 9 54 19 18 100
Housewives/other 42 4 21 33 100
Business women 7 33 47 13 100
Religion
Muslim 35 23 16 26 100
Christian 19 47 19 15 100
Hindu 73 0 0 27 100
Nationality
Middle East 44 20 13 23 100
European 16 44 12 28 100
North American 7 77 14 0 100
Sub-continent 33 27 20 20 100
Other 18 18 29 35 100

machines, and 16 percent had bought a stationary cycle
(Table III). Cross tabulated with age, nationality, occupation
and religion, the analysis narrowed the consumer segments
which may potentially be targeted by marketers. Noticeable
percentages of respondents purchasing treadmills is 43
percent of those under the age of 25, 55 percent of the
student segment, 42 percent of the housewives, 73 percent
Hindu religion and 44 percent of those with Middle East
(Arab) nationality. The occupation of those under 25 is most
likely students which would explain that link.
For workout equipment, 42 percent are in the age group
26-35, 54 percent are employees, 47 percent are Christian, 77
percent are North American followed by 44 percent of
European nationality. Here again age and occupation align as
women in the workforce, 26-35, would have jobs as employees
at the beginning of their careers before gaining experience and
taking on supervisory responsibilities.
47 percent of business women said they had purchased a
stationary cycle for their home. This could be explained as
riding a bike for exercise facilitates multi-tasking such as
reading or watching TV.
Regarding the equipment that segments did not tend to
buy, very few women under 25 buy stationary bikes.
Housewives buy treadmills and abdominal machines but not
workout equipment. This may be that they are in their child
bearing years and therefore more conscious of rounded bellies
after births. Those of Hindu religion are not interested in
workout equipment or stationary cycles. North American
women do not invest in abdominal machines and spend little
on home cardio equipment such as treadmills and cycles. This
suggests that North American women go outside the home to
exercise, e.g. join clubs. In the absence of cultural constraints
within western societies, this is not surprising. Chi square
significance is achieved for age cross tabulated with type of
equipment at p ¼ 0:001.
Objective 2: women believe/disbelieve advertising
claims about home fitness equipment
The question now is whether the respondents believe or
disbelieve the claims made through advertising (Table IV). Of
n ¼ 394, 25 percent say they do believe, 39 percent say they
do not believe and 36 percent say it depends on what is said in
the advertisements themselves.
Total respondents who have bought fitness equipment,
including those who did not specify the type, answered 44
percent that they believe the advertising claims, 22 percent
that they don’t and 34 percent that their belief in the
advertisement message depends on the ads. For specific
equipment, 47 percent who have bought workout equipment
believe the ads as do 52 percent who have bought stationary
bikes. 55 percent of those buying treadmills say it depends on
the ads and 37 percent of those who have bought abs
machines do not believe.
After purchasing fitness equipment for use at home, 57
percent of the women say they are satisfied whereas 43
percent say they are not. The order of products for
satisfaction after purchase, with percentages (percent), is
treadmills (85), stationary cycles (64), workout equipment
(51) and abdominal machines (33) (Table V). The
explanation would be that cardio equipment, when used
on a regular program, will show results faster than will
workout equipment. In other words, weight loss and size
reduction is more noticeable than muscle tone
development.
Chi square significance, p , 0.05, was achieved for belief
in the ads cross tabulated with age, both for the group who
have purchased home-use equipment and the total
respondents including those who have not. Frequency of
exercise cross tabulated with belief in the advertisements was
also chi square significant. Age and reason for exercise chi
square value was p ¼ 0:05.

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 Women: segmenting the home fitness equipment market Journal of Consumer Marketing
Donelda S. McKechnie, Jim Grant, Victoria Korepina and Naila Sadykova Volume 24 · Number 1 · 2007 · 18 –26

Table IV Believe advertisements and types of equipment purchased

Responses in % Specific equipment purchased
% Total responses Yes, purchased Treadmills Workout equipment Stationary cycles Abs machines
Believe (25%) 44 35 47 52 40
Do not believe (39%) 22 10 23 20 37
Depends on the ad (36%) 34 55 30 28 23
N 5 394 total respondents N ¼ 172; chi square sig. p ¼ 0:000 n ¼ 49 n ¼ 47 n ¼ 25 n ¼ 35
Notes: Chi square significance for n ¼ 156; type of equipment purchased and believe/disbelieve ads is p ¼ 0:014

Table V Satisfaction with type of product cross tabulated with demographics

Treadmills Workout equipment Stationary cycles Abs machines Overall
% Satisfied with product 85 51 64 33
Satisfied with product? n 5 184, p 5 0:000 % % % % %
Age
< 25 years 82 68 60 27 66
26-35 years 86 33 25 38 42
36 1 years 100 33 92 40 66
Occupation
Students 82 30 100 15 59
Employees 67 48 45 60 51
Housewives/other 100 100 60 38 71
Business women 100 100 86 0 80
Religion
Muslim (p 5 0:000) 83 65 36 24 57
Christian 79 39 100 67 64
Hindu 100 0 73
Nationality
Middle East (p 5 0:002) 87 57 56 31 64
European 0 46 100 57 52
North American 100 18 100 36
Sub-continent 90 100 33 0 61
Others 100 100 80 50 77

The respondents who are satisfied with their home equipment
purchases said they believe the advertisements (45 percent), it
depends on the ads (51 percent) and did not believe
(4 percent).
Business women were most satisfied with the purchases
they made (80 percent), followed by housewives (71 percent),
students (59 percent) and lastly, women who are employees
(51 percent). This may be because business women measure
satisfaction on more than just exercise results. They may
consider whether the equipment functions adequately or be
more discerning prior to purchase. Either would contribute to
satisfaction.
The products that had the least satisfaction are abdominal
machines albeit that older women had a higher degree of
satisfaction. It may be that exercise results are more
noticeable in older women. North American women who
had purchased home-use products expressed 100 percent
satisfaction with their cardio machines but had very little
regard for workout equipment. 18 percent said they are
satisfied. Chi square significance, p ¼ 0:000 and p ¼ 0:002,
was achieved for satisfaction of Muslim women with products
purchased and satisfaction of women with Middle East
nationality and products purchased, respectively.
Discussion
The two objectives that guide this research are:
(1) to what extent are female consumers a viable target
market segment for fitness equipment that is purchased
for the home; and
(2) to what extent do women believe/disbelieve the
advertising claims made about such products.
The findings have shown that women are a viable market:
approximately 40 percent of the respondents have previously
bought fitness equipment for the home. This is a strong
indication that women are a consumer segment that may be
pursued.
This study begins to build a profile of the female market.
Using age, occupation, religion and nationality as the
demographic variables, it is evident that cardio equipment is
more popular than workout equipment or abdominal
machines. Stationary cycles are popular with business

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 Women: segmenting the home fitness equipment market
Donelda S. McKechnie, Jim Grant, Victoria Korepina and Naila Sadykova
women whereas treadmills fit the lifestyle of young women
and housewives. Hindu women are purchasers of abdominal
machines and treadmills. North American women show a lack
of interest in purchasing abs machines which may be the
result that these products have been on the market for some
time and therefore, no longer hold appeal.
As for objective two, the extent to which women believe the
advertisements, the responses indicate that generally, they are
discerning shoppers. Those who have bought said that they
did believe the advertisements. However, a large number of
women also assess the advertisement message critically before
believing what is claimed. Measuring satisfaction with
purchases shows that cardio equipment, again, is more
favorable whereas women complained that abdominal
machines were difficult to master or did not work well. In
the latter instance, they said that “it did not work as fast as
they advertised” and “it did not work, but I did not put
enough effort anyway”.
Limitations and caveats
Limitations extend to the validity of responses from the
younger age groups: it is unknown whether they are buying
for themselves or using the home equipment purchased by
their parents. However, given the relatively high level of
disposable income in the country and a culture that has only
recently accepted men and women working out in the same
venue, it is reasonable to think that even the younger age
groups are making home sports equipment purchases.
Every effort was made to approach a cross-section of
women albeit that some ladies discourage conversation and
survey participation. Additionally, when presenting a survey
written in English, respondents who are less fluent in the
language will ask for fieldworkers to translate into Arabic. The
fieldworkers for this study do not speak Arabic which may
have precluded some women from being included in the
study.
Lastly, this research included only four demographic
characteristics and four types of home fitness equipment.
While it may be argued that the results are very basic, the
findings identify sufficient information to warrant promotion
activities being directed at target consumer markets.
Conclusions
The results of this study note that it is possible to segment
women consumers who are purchasers or who are likely to
purchase home fitness equipment. The findings note the
various product categories that interest respondent groups
according to age, nationality, religion and occupation. For
marketing purposes, this information is a starting point for
developing promotions directed at specific groups.
Adopting an exercise lifestyle is gaining support in the
United Arab Emirates. However, as more and more people
join fitness clubs, culture and society will always ensure that a
market for home fitness equipment continues to exist. To that
end, the consumers most likely to represent an important
percentage of those choosing to purchase equipment for home
will be women. In the international context, aligning
respondents’ age, occupation, nationality and religion with
purchase behavior provides a starting point for future studies
that examine the consumer segment, gender, on a larger scale.
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Journal of Consumer Marketing
Volume 24 · Number 1 · 2007 · 18 –26
This research was conducted while the UAE fitness
industry is still in its infancy. If replicated, it is expected
that the results potentially may be different as the pursuit of a
healthy lifestyle becomes more embedded in this society. As
well, media changes such as the availability of more satellite
programmes or the use of infomercials may contribute to
greater consumer awareness of products available and thus,
more purchases may be made for home use. On the other
hand, such information access may contribute to a culture
shift whereby women are more likely to join fitness clubs and
go outside the home to workout. In the interim, equipment
manufacturers have a viable market of women purchasers who
exercise at home.
References
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Corresponding author
Donelda S. McKechnie can be contacted at:
dsmckechnie@gmail.com
Executive summary and implications for
managers and executives
This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives
a rapid appreciation of the content of this article in toto to take
advantage of the more comprehensive description of the research
undertaken and its results to get the full benefit of the material
present.
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), physical exercise is a
growing phenomenon and the fitness industry, which earned
around US$27,000 in 2002, continues to increase by around
15 percent each year. The aim of McKechnie et al. is to assess
the impact of this rising interest in exercise on the home
fitness equipment market and, more specifically, to build a
profile of women in the UAE most likely to purchase such
equipment. Despite the growth, analysts point out that the
market is considerably less mature in the UAE than in
countries such as the USA and consequently believe that it
offers extensive scope to both manufacturers and retailers.
Why people exercise
Previous research in this area had been limited, with gender-
oriented studies mainly using age and ethnicity as
demographic variables. Findings from these earlier studies
suggest that younger women exercise mainly to control their
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Volume 24 · Number 1 · 2007 · 18 –26
weight, while stress relief and improvement to mental health
become motivating factors as women get older. Women of all
ages admitted that a desire to look good was another key
reason for undertaking physical exercise. In addition to
concern about weight and appearance, there is some evidence
that feminine empowerment was another reason for
participation.
Others found ethnic or cultural values to be influential and
some concluded that the typical individualistic or collectivist
nature of some cultural or ethnic groups was especially
significant. The danger here was making assumptions about
such groups and failing to recognize the differences that can
exist within these perceived norms.
Previous research also found exercise to be more prevalent
among those with equipment in the home and that the
amount of equipment owned often indicates the level and
extent of exercise undertaken. However, most previous
studies investigated general involvement in physical activity
rather than specific exercise types.
Study and findings
In their analysis of women’s purchase behavior, McKechnie
et al. build on this earlier research by including more
demographic variables: age, occupation, nationality and
religion. Each category was further divided into between
three and five sub groups. In view of the UAE population
containing a significant number of expatriates, it was felt that
nationality and religion were potentially influential factors.
The authors first conducted preliminary interviews with
staff in UAE sports shops to find out about products,
customer preferences and market developments. They
discovered that these shops are increasingly stocking more
leading brand home fitness products. Following this, women
visiting restaurants, cafés, coffee houses and shopping malls
were approached and 400 completed the self-administered
survey. The survey included questions about previous
purchases of sports and fitness equipment, satisfaction levels
and whether the women believed the advertisements used to
promote these products. Retail staff had revealed that
treadmills, exercise cycles, workout equipment and
abdominal machines were the four main equipment
categories purchased by women, so the survey focused on
these products.
Questions were asked to establish the frequency of exercise
at home and the reasons for participation. That the three
main reasons cited were to lose weight, to get fit and to
improve their appearance indicated agreement with previous
findings.
Almost half the women surveyed had made a previous
purchase with treadmills (32 percent) the most popular,
closely followed by workout equipment and abdominal
machines. Twice as many bought treadmills as bought
stationary cycles. The survey revealed that treadmills were
bought buy 43 percent of respondents under 25, 55 percent of
students, 42 percent of housewives, 73 percent whose religion
was Hindu, and 44 percent of Middle Eastern or Arabic
nationality. On the assumption that most student respondents
would belong in the under 25 age group, the authors believe
this provides evidence of treadmills’ popularity among
younger females. In relation to the purchase of workout
equipment, similar correlation between age and occupation
was again evident. It was argued that this age group (26-35)
were likely to hold employee positions en route to
 Women: segmenting the home fitness equipment market
Donelda S. McKechnie, Jim Grant, Victoria Korepina and Naila Sadykova
management roles when the get older. Statistics show the
main purchasers of stationary cycles to be business women, a
group possibly most used to multi-tasking. The authors
speculate that this factor may have influenced the purchase of
equipment that simultaneously permits activities such as
reading or watching television.
Of the women surveyed, 57 percent expressed satisfaction
with their purchases. Most satisfaction was recorded for
treadmills with exercise bikes, workout equipment and
abdominal machines following in that order. The authors
hypothesize this could be due to cardio vascular equipment
producing speedier results than workout equipment.
Specifically, weight loss is generally noticeable much more
quickly than muscle toning. One reason for abdominal
machines’ satisfaction rating was that some respondents
found them difficult to use. In contrast, older women were
more satisfied with this product category, prompting the
authors to assume that this may be because visible results are
more noticeable where older users are concerned. Overall,
business women (80 percent) were the segment most satisfied
with their purchasers followed by housewives (71 percent),
students (59 percent) and employees (51 percent). It was
speculated that this could be down to the likelihood of
business women being more astute shoppers and/or the fact
that they may measure satisfaction on more than exercise
results alone. Nationality also appears significant in relation to
satisfaction. For instance, workout equipment held little
appeal to North American women possibly because they had
long been familiar with such products. On the other hand, all
women in this segment who bought cardio machines were
totally satisfied with their purchase.
Those who had bought fitness equipment generally believed
the claims made by the advertisements, although a large
number revealed that they first analyzed the content of the
advertisement before making up their mind.
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Journal of Consumer Marketing
Volume 24 · Number 1 · 2007 · 18 –26
Marketing implications
That so many survey respondents had previously bought
fitness equipment for home use prompts McKechnie et al. to
advise companies to regard women as an important market
segment. The authors also believe that their study functions as
a foundation for the development of campaigns to target
various sub-groups. Other research had previously identified
this as a necessary strategy.
While a growing number of people are joining sports and
fitness clubs, family responsibilities, lack of time and financial
constraints are reasons why some women exercise at home.
Likewise, prevailing cultural and societal norms should
further ensure that the home market continues to flourish.
In the UAE, for example, there is still considerable resistance
to the idea of women working out alongside men other than
family members. Infomercials, not currently used in this
country, could help break down such barriers and enable
more women to join fitness clubs. On the other hand, the
increased consumer awareness resulting from infomercials
may help the home market to develop further.
The authors point out the conscious attempt to include a
cross section of women in this survey was hindered by
language barriers and a reluctance to participate from some
who were approached. They also express doubts that some
younger respondents may not be purchasers but users of
equipment owned by parents. However, the high levels of
disposable income enjoyed in the UAE and the
aforementioned taboo surrounding the two sexes exercising
together indicates that marketers can regard this segment as
potential purchasers of home fitness equipment.
Further studies could investigate the impact of additional
demographic and other variables and include other
equipment types.
(A précis of the article “Women: segmenting the home fitness
equipment market”. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for
Emerald.)