3 Metrics Every Gym Owner Should Track to Grow Apparel Revenue

You can't improve what you don't measure. Most gym owners run their apparel drops, count the orders, deposit the profit, and move on. That's fine — but it leaves a ton of money on the table. Tracking just three numbers after each drop tells you exactly where you're winning, where you're leaking sales, and what to do differently next time.

Metric 1: Member Participation Rate

What it is: The percentage of your active members who placed an order.

How to calculate it: (Number of unique members who ordered) / (Total active members) x 100

Why it matters: This is the single most important metric in your apparel program. It tells you how well your marketing is working and how connected your community feels to your brand.

Benchmarks from what we've seen across 5,000+ gyms:

Below 15% means your promotion isn't reaching enough people. Go back to Post 5 and add more channels. Members either didn't see the drop or didn't feel compelled to act.

15-30% is average. Most gyms land here. You're reaching your core fans but not converting the middle of the pack. This is where social proof, coach announcements, and personal outreach (Post 6) make the biggest difference.

30-50% is strong. You've got a solid system in place. Focus on consistency — run this same playbook every drop and your participation will climb as members come to expect and look forward to each release.

Above 50% is elite. The gyms that hit this level treat apparel as a core part of their community identity, not just a side revenue stream. Drops are events. Members feel like they're missing out if they don't order.

How to improve it: The number one lever is promotion frequency. If your participation rate is low, you're almost certainly under-promoting. The gyms that jump from 20% to 40% participation usually change one thing: they go from mentioning the drop twice to mentioning it daily across multiple channels.

Metric 2: Average Order Value

What it is: The average dollar amount each customer spends per order.

How to calculate it: (Total revenue from the drop) / (Number of orders)

Why it matters: Getting more people to order is one lever. Getting each person to spend more is the other. If your participation rate is already decent, increasing AOV is the fastest path to more revenue.

Benchmarks:

Under $25 means members are buying single items — usually one tee. You're leaving money on the table by not offering variety or bundles.

$25-$40 is solid. Members are buying 1-2 items.

Above $40 means your product mix is working. Members are grabbing tees plus a hoodie, or buying for their spouse and kids.

How to improve it:

Offer more product types. If you're only offering tees, add hoodies, hats, tanks, or coach gear. Every additional product type gives members another reason to add to their cart.

Pre-order pricing. "Pre-order for $27.99 now, or pay $32.99 retail when it arrives." This incentivizes commitment during the order window and drives more members to buy during the drop instead of waiting.

Family-friendly sizing and styles. When a member can buy something for their spouse or kids, your AOV doubles overnight. Unisex options, youth sizes, and women's cuts all expand the addressable market within each household.

Show the full lineup. Don't just post one mockup — show everything available. Members can't buy what they don't know exists.

Metric 3: Profit Per Drop

What it is: Your total take-home profit after all costs — production, shipping, your apparel partner's fees — are subtracted from total revenue.

How to calculate it: (Total revenue) - (Total cost of goods + shipping + any fees) = Profit

Why it matters: Revenue is vanity, profit is reality. A drop that generates $2,000 in revenue but costs $1,400 to produce isn't as good as a drop that generates $1,500 but costs $700. Knowing your actual profit per drop lets you set real goals and track growth over time.

How to improve it:

Use a pre-order model. If you're still buying inventory upfront and hoping it sells, you're taking on unnecessary risk and often eating the cost of unsold sizes. Pre-order means you only pay for what's already been purchased. Every dollar of revenue (minus production cost) is pure profit.

Negotiate better per-unit pricing. As your order volumes grow, your cost per unit should drop. If you're consistently doing 50+ piece runs, make sure your pricing reflects that volume.

Reduce waste. Exchanges and reprints eat into margin. Getting sizing right the first time — by offering free sizing samples to your members before the order window opens — dramatically reduces post-delivery issues.

Track it over time. Build a simple spreadsheet: drop name, date, total orders, total revenue, total cost, profit. After 4-5 drops, you'll see trends — which designs sell best, which seasons perform, what your real growth rate looks like.

Putting It All Together

After every drop, take 10 minutes to fill in these three numbers:

If participation is going up but AOV is flat, focus on bundles and product variety. If AOV is strong but participation is low, invest more in promotion channels. If both are growing, you've got a machine — keep running the playbook.

The gym owners who track these three numbers after every drop are the ones who turn apparel from a $2,000/year afterthought into a $15,000+/year revenue line. It doesn't happen overnight, but it compounds fast when you're intentional about it.