Five minutes with.. FitOnClick.com founder and CEO Ben Samuel

What exactly does FitOnClick.Com offer to customers?

FitOnClick.Com is the marketplace platform that aggregates fitness and wellness providers all around the UAE and makes fitness discovery easier for consumers. It is the definitive fitness destination finder, search engine, booking engine, fitness motivator and a one source for all the fitness related events, news, blogs and healthy food options online for all fitness seekers and enthusiasts in the UAE.

We have added a new feature ‘Find My Trainer’ that allows users to find expert trainers at click of a button. We deliver vetted and certified personal trainers to consumers’ doorstep.

Fit On Click is all set to launch new platform ‘Order Healthy Food Online’ in January 2017 by partnering with 20 specialised restaurants that provide a selection of fit, healthy and balanced meals in the UAE.

Has the local fitness industry been affected by the slowing economy?

I don’t think so, for the only reason that every month we are getting 600 to 700 inquiries online to buy memberships from different partners. The launch of our new platform ‘Find My Trainer’ has already got great response from our customers and we are witnessing 80 per cent conversion from the large number of inquiries we are getting. Also the government is playing a pivotal role in encouraging fitness, wellness and sports in the region.

The UAE has seen a boom in online start-ups. Do you see strong competition in the market?

The health and fitness industry is still evolving in the region and we felt the need for a fitness and wellness marketplace that offers consumers the ability to compare pricing and the facilities provided by different health and fitness centres across the UAE.

Furthermore, as there is no benchmarking of prices, qualifications or facilities for fitness services, we offer a unique platform to compare, review and book fitness centres to consumers before they enroll themselves in expensive memberships.

We consider ourselves a pioneer in the fitness and wellness industry, as we have taken a step to organise the, so far, unstructured sector. We see this challenge as a benefit for the platform in many ways.

The continuous growth in the wellness sector is going to profit related sectors as well. We look forward to increasing our reach and becoming a household name in the fitness aggregator industry.

What are the biggest challenges that you face?

Since we are a technology marketplace platform, convincing businesses to list on the website has been our biggest challenge. Also getting the right team in place is a big challenge but we have made good strides and today after a year of operation, we are now partnered with 1,400 businesses in the UAE.

Looking ahead, what are your plans for 2017? Is there any expansion on the cards and are you seeking additional funding?

We are looking for funding to support further expansion. The website is going to launch more than five business verticals in a year’s time, in which ‘Find My Trainer’ is already launched and Fit On Click Healthy Food Ordering System is due to launch in early January 2017.