Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
Wearable fitness trackers, also known as activity trackers or fitness watches, have ranked as one of the most popular holiday gifts for years. And as the new year arrives, consumers are using devices from brands like his Fitbit, Apple, and Garmin to monitor their movements, track their workouts, count calories burned, and more to stay healthy. I am determined to do so.
The first generation of fitness trackers functioned as pedometers that counted steps. Today's increasingly sophisticated tools track various forms of exercise, including running, cycling, rowing, and swimming. It also measures blood oxygen levels, sleep patterns, calorie intake, and other health-related data points.
Companies market these products as all-in-one technology devices that connect users to the apps and products they need to establish or maintain a workout regimen, such as music, maps, and schedule reminders. Many medical professionals support wearable activity trackers to help users maintain regular exercise habits and achieve their fitness goals.
However, many people may feel irritated or demotivated when their fitness watch tells them to stand up after sitting too long, or notifies them that they haven't burned too many calories by a certain time. I don't know. Research conducted by Lane Fronchek, assistant professor of marketing at Georgia State University's J. Mack Robinson College of Business, shows there may be a reason for these negative feelings.
2022 paper co-authored by Fronczek Academy of Marketing Science Journal, “Friend or Foe? Could the anthropomorphism of self-tracking devices backfire on marketers and consumers?” Some people have been drawn to wearable trackers, calling their devices “fitness coaches,” and they've proven that. You experience a decrease in enthusiasm and activity over time.
Another study was published in 2016. American Medical Association Journal (Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association) compared two groups of overweight adults who ate the same low-calorie diet, had the same exercise routine, and received the same support for two years.
One group wore activity trackers, and the other group manually recorded their data on a website. There was no significant difference in weight loss between groups at 6 months, but at 12, 18, and 24 months, participants who tracked their activities online were less likely to lose weight when wearing the device. participants lost statistically significantly more weight than participants with
Although the researchers did not offer a clear explanation for their results, they theorized that the activity-tracking group focused more on technology support than on actual exercise behavior.
Fronczek's research may shed light on why some users lose motivation over time. Her team found that devices called “personal fitness coaches” or “fitness friends” can reduce users' autonomy. This makes consumers feel like the technology, rather than the user, is being evaluated for their actions and goal accomplishments. As a result, people lose motivation to engage in health-related behaviors, leading to a decrease in the number of steps and physical activity they take each day.
To combat this phenomenon, Fronczek recommends that users customize their device settings and set their own exercise goals rather than following the tracker's instructions. By giving users more ownership over their activities and successes, you can maintain your users' enthusiasm and prevent them from losing their excitement.
Fronczek also reiterated that users should use wearable activity trackers as a support tool and should avoid relying on wearable activity trackers to manage or monitor any aspect of their lives. .
As devices continue to evolve and play a more important role in our daily lives, it is essential to understand how consumers use this technology. Economists value the wearable activity tracker market at $138 billion in 2022 and expect it to exceed $491 billion by 2032.
“There are ways for companies to get the best of both worlds,” Fronczek said. “You can initially market the device as a coach and then encourage customers to customize their settings through push notifications and emails, giving them more autonomy and feeling like they are in control of their actions.”