The fitness industry is among the fastest-growing sectors worldwide, yet motivation for exercise remains one of the most significant topics. This doctoral dissertation had multiple objectives, which were addressed through the execution of 5 studies. In the first part, after reviewing the literature, we conducted a pilot study on 493 students of the University of Ljubljana, where we validated the EMI-2 questionnaire. In the second part, we surveyed users from the twenty largest fitness centers in Slovenia, also utilizing questionnaires to assess the informativeness and fun perception of emails and social media, as well as a questionnaire for trust and the intention to repurchase. The results indicated that the motivation of users of Slovenian fitness centers varies according to gender, age, marital status, employment status, education, and competitive experience. We also discovered differences in the motivational structure among users of fitness centers, participants in aerobics, and those training with a personal trainer. Further results highlighted the importance of newer channels of marketing communication, such as social networks, for fitness centers. Our research showed that both social media fun and social media informativeness positively impact trust, but not the intention to repurchase. Social media fun positively affects motivation for exercise, while we could not confirm this for the social media informativeness. The impact of motivation on trust could not be confirmed. Finally, we confirmed that trust predicts the intention to repurchase among fitness center members. The findings of the studies are important to consider in organizing workouts in fitness centers, as well as in marketing fitness centers, sales conversations, and in retaining users.
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