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How Coral Leisure's Nova sales agent drove 7% revenue growth in just 1 day
Discover how Coral Leisure, Ireland’s leading fitness and aquatic group, drove 7% revenue growth in just one day and achieved a 28% conversion rate by using Nova from Antares to eliminate friction and streamline sign-ups for their annual one-day sale.
Coral Leisure x Nova 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
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.”
How ‘Pete’ Performed
‘Pete’, Coral Leisure's Nova 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.”
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 Nova 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."
Why It Worked
1. Eliminated uncertainty - the #1 conversion killer
Sale-day blockers are rarely complex:
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.”
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.
