The South African gym and fitness industry got a powerful boost this month with the announcement that leading software development company Khanyisa Real Systems (KRS), and fast-growing web development company Itensity Online, have joined forces on the Club Management software front. The new venture is named KRS Club (Pty) Ltd, and will be enhancing and growing the web-based Itensity Club management system from Itensity Online. Read more here
Of the merger, KRS’s co-Founder and Simplifier-in-Chief, Lorraine Steyn remarked: “We are all very excited at the prospects for innovation and growth in the African gym and fitness market through the merger with Itensity. We see this as the best marriage of our experience with fresh new ideas and a leading edge Cloud-based solution for Club management. It’s very affordable, with extensive features to make any club or studio able to effectively run their business.”
KRS has been the dominant supplier of gym software systems in Southern Africa for many years. The merger with Itensity Online – a rapidly expanding web-based fitness solution that to date has been active in the Crossfit, Yoga and Pilates studio sectors – now means that the new company can supply advanced but easy to use, Software as a Service (Saas) solutions that speak to the digital age. Payment gateways, automated back-office processes (like month-ends and back-ups), as well as client facing protocols such as online class bookings and member profile management.
Jaco van der Merwe, at the time a Crossfit gym owner, and one of his members, now business partner, Jaco Theunissen, formed Itensity in 2012. Theunissen was annoyed at the club’s cumbersome manual paper-based booking system and set about constructing a simple online platform that could alleviate his irritation, and enhance the growing club’s member experience. Within three months of the platform going live, the pair realized they had a viable business on their hands. The rest as they say, is history.
“We registered the business in April 2013 and our first month’s turnover was only R83,” commented van der Merwe. “Since then of course, we’ve grown enormously, servicing mainly the studio-based outfits who have been quick to adopt modern technology and our mobile applications.
“The integration with KRS now means we can expand our horizons and tap into bigger gym groups as well as the burgeoning independent health studio market. We have a solution that fits all sizes, and with a great team that can deliver on the needs of both club owner and members,” commented van der Merwe.
Beyond the club management software system, the team at Itensity has also launched an event management platform, which they use to host some of the country’s biggest CrossFit events. The further development and expansion of this platform will also form part of the merger.
Both Steyn and van der Merwe are confident they will be able to access a healthy slice of the fitness pie with their flag ship offering, as Itensity is more than fit for the challenge.