How Coral Leisure's ‘Pete’ drove 7% revenue growth in just 1 day

Coral Leisure x Keepme Results Snapshot

28%
Conversion rate: +10%
Growth in year-on-year sign-ups: +5%
Uplift in year-on-year retention: +7%
Increase in year-on-year revenue

The Business

Coral Leisure operates public fitness and aquatic facilities across Ireland, serving diverse communities of all ages. Their annual One Day Sale is the biggest membership growth lever of the year.

The Problem

Coral’s annual one-day sales event compresses weeks of demand into hours. The pattern is predictable:

- Question volume spikes when staff capacity is fixed
- Response times slow exactly when speed matters most
- Customers ready to buy can't find "where do I join?"
- Drop-off happens between interest and sign-up

For 2025, Coral Leisure's goal wasn't just traffic - it was frictionless conversion.

The critical step: getting customers into the CentumX app, where memberships are purchased.

The Results

Friday, 19 September 2025:

Sign-ups: +10% YoY (2,258 → 2,486)
Retention: +5% YoY (74.5% → 79.5%)
Revenue: +7% YoY

“One-day campaigns live or die on a simple principle: customers arrive ready to act, but questions create friction. If the next step isn't obvious and instant, they leave.”

Ciaran Murtagh, Area Manager, Coral Leisure

How Pete Performed

Pete, Coral Leisure's Keepme Antares AI Agent, didn't just answer questions - he moved customers down the funnel.

Sale Day Performance:

- 102 sale-related questions handled
- 29 CentumX app downloads from Pete's conversations
- 28% conversion rate (question → app download)
- Pete drove 15% of all app downloads during the sale period
- 191 total downloads (remaining 85% from offline promotion)

“Pete wasn't just answering questions during our one day sale, he was guiding customers to the exact point where joining becomes easy. It was like having an extra member of the team instantly available whenever customers needed help.”

Ciaran Murtagh, Area Manager, Coral Leisure

What 28% Conversion Actually Means

👉 More than 1 in 4 customers who asked Pete about the sale clicked through to download the app.

That's the critical moment in a one-day sale: moving from curiosity to commitment while intent is high.

Why App Downloads Matter

1. Customer progresses toward sign-up
2. Journey becomes self-serve and faster
3. Coral can nurture beyond the sale day

Pete's job wasn't conversation. It was getting customers to where membership happens.

The Solution

Coral Leisure had already deployed Antares’ AI sales agents for year-round enquiries, but optimised their agent as a conversion tool for the sale.

'Pete's’ three functions:

1. Answer sale questions instantly
2. Deliver CentumX download link in-conversation
3. Keep customers moving from interest to action while intent peaks

"We knew that on sale day, hesitation can build quickly if people don't get answers straight away. Pete helped by stepping in instantly, making things clear, and guiding customers straight to the app while their intent was still high."

Ciaran Murtagh, Area Manager, Coral Leisure

Why It Worked

1. Eliminated uncertainty - the #1 conversion killer

Sale-day blockers are rarely complex:

- "Where do I sign up?"

- "How do I access the offer?"

- "What's the fastest way to join?"

Pete answered instantly, then pushed the CentumX link. Momentum converts.

2. Closed the interest-to-action gap

Customers don't drop off from lack of interest. They drop off when the next step is unclear, slow, or annoying. 28% conversion shows Pete repeatedly turned "I'm thinking about it" into "I'm doing it."

3. Turned one-day transactions into lasting memberships

Retention doesn't happen by accident. It follows clean onboarding, clear expectations, and fast product access. Pete got more existing customers back into the app faster, supporting member retention beyond the sale event.

What This Proves

When AI is built for outcomes - not just support - it becomes:

- A repeatable conversion path from question to action
- Instant scale during demand spikes
- A contributor to metrics that matter: sign-ups, retention, revenue

The principle: Remove friction when customers are ready, and results improve.

“For us, AI isn't about replacing people. It's about making things easier at the exact moment someone is ready to take the next step. When that happens, everything flows better, from app downloads, to onboarding, to people sticking with their membership.”

Ciaran Murtagh, Area Manager, Coral Leisure

Bottom Line

Pete converted 28% of sale questions into app downloads during Coral Leisure's highest-stakes day. Combined with 10% sign-up growth, 5% retention lift, and 7% revenue increase, this is AI delivering commercial outcomes, not just conversations.

FAQ

Common questions gym operators ask when evaluating AI for high-volume sales events.

How does AI handle sales spikes like a One Day Sale? +

Unlike human staff, AI has infinite capacity. It can handle hundreds of concurrent conversations instantly. In Coral Leisure's case, 'Pete' ensured zero wait times during their busiest day of the year, preventing drop-offs.

Can an AI agent actually drive sign-ups? +

Yes. By integrating with your sales flow, the AI can do more than answer questions, it can direct users to the specific purchase page. 'Pete' achieved a 28% conversion rate from inquiry to app download by providing the right link at the right moment.

Does Keepme integrate with membership apps like CentumX? +

Yes. The key to Coral Leisure's success was the seamless handover from the AI conversation to the CentumX app, where the membership purchase was finalised.

Is this better than just having a FAQ page? +

Significantly. Static FAQ pages rely on customers searching for answers. An AI agent actively engages, answers specific questions instantly, and pushes the customer toward the sale.

Does it work outside of business hours? +

Yes. 24/7 availability is critical for limited-time sales events. 'Pete' allowed Coral Leisure to capture sign-ups late at night and early in the morning without requiring staff to work overtime.

Will the AI sound robotic to our members? +

No. Antares agents are trained on natural language and your specific brand tone. 'Pete' was designed to chat like a helpful team member, not a script, which was crucial for building trust before guiding users to the app.

What happens if the AI doesn't know the answer? +

The agent is programmed to recognise its limits. If a member asks a complex question that requires human intervention (like a specific billing dispute), the agent can capture the details and escalate it to your staff, ensuring no lead is lost to frustration.

How quickly can an agent like 'Pete' be deployed? +

Rapidly. Because Keepme connects directly to your existing data, the agent learns your schedule, pricing, and offers quickly. Coral Leisure was able to deploy a highly specific 'sale expert' specifically for the event window without a massive technical setup.

Want results like Coral Leisure?

If you want to maximise revenue from your sales campaigns, eliminate response delays, and drive frictionless conversions, an AI Sales Agent can deliver measurable gains fast.

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