Israel is famous for being a startup powerhouse. In this article, we introduce you to Arbox, an app that specializes in the sports business.
Arbox provides personal trainers and gyms with an app that allows them to schedule trainers, register for classes, and manage their finances in order to run a sports-related business. It is currently being implemented in a variety of sports facilities, including gyms, yoga studios and CrossFit classes, and it also offers payment and direct debit services to help ease the burden on business owners.
The idea started when founders Ran Lev and Allen Devensason felt the hassle of signing up for a gym membership was too much for them. Necessity is truly the mother of invention.
We spoke with Asaf Azar, Business Development Director at Arbox, to find out more.
―――What is Arbox?
Asaf: “The fitness industry changed and became bigger in recent years” says Asaf, “the question is, why is this happening? I think it’s about being part of a community”. Asaf adds more about how they are using this information “we help to mediate the connection between the coach and the trainers by adding easy tools to communicate in our services. We even have special messages for birthdays because we understand the importance of community and personal treatment. I personally work out in a gym we currently work with, and I can meet new people and have easy access to my coach. We think it’s important to have this accessibility and we want to provide that to our clients.”
Arbox team is built from people who love to work out and understand well this field. Even when the company has many clients, Arbox still aspires to give a treatment as specific as possible. No matter if it's a yoga studio or weightlifting Studio, and even if the concept or the size is different, Arboxs specialty is to find a way to make the system beneficial for everyone.
―――What are the challenges of expanding abroad?
Asaf talked with us about the challenges of working in the international market.
Asaf: “There are a lot of cultural differences, like the subtext in the language. Hebrew is a very straight forward while English is more subtle. So for example when we put together the wording for let’s say, a message about the next practice, it’s not literal translation and we need to understand the small details. In order to do so we created a mechanism to be more efficient. We have a bigger team now and we are working on implementation of processes In order to respond well to our customers. Another point is the difference in payments methods, because every country is operating in a different way. We need to understand what is the best way to deal with this subject in every country we are starting to work with. Also, we are exposed to different methods of working out and can learn from them a lot.”
―――Many companies have been affected by COVID-19, has it also affected Arbox?
Asaf: “We work around the clock to provide solutions to our clients during these tough times. In Israel, the quarantine started earlier compared to other countries, so we learned fast. We added an option to record a class on Zoom, connect it to our system, and the users can get a message that a new class is now available to them. Also, we help to instruct smart ways to use Zoom, like different charging fees or how to use our knowledge because we work on a daily basis with so many people and we are always updated. From our point of view, the work didn't stop, it just changed, and we need to act fast and smart because we have responsibility to our clients”.
As for the future, Arbox is aiming to expand the activity abroad and enter new markets. Arbox has learned a lot from working with American and European market and they mastered how to localize their system to match the needs of their clients. With this knowledge, one of the next targets is Asia. When asked about Japan Asaf told us that they can recognize parallel lines with other countries they already worked with. He also said they are looking forward to entering new markets and keep learning more to keep developing and making Arbox the best they can.
Arbox website
https://arboxapp.com/
