"fitness apps" articles

We recently released a complimentary whitepaper examining the top trends in the connected home, health, and mobile industries. Top 10 Consumer IoT Trends in 2017 , which features insight from Parks Associates’ analyst team, examines key topics driving growth and monetization of the IoT. Consumerization of healthcare services and devices drives integration with smart home ecosystems and new business models. Connected healthcare is taking a more prominent role in the...

Fitness device use is most frequent among owners with active gym memberships with no cancellation plans Over one in three fitness tracker and/or smart watch owners have an active gym membership and do not plan to cancel. Past research from Parks Associates has found that many as 10% of fitness tracker and smart watch owners have canceled or plan to cancel their gym memberships as a result of using their device. However, new research is showing that high device usage rate of active...

It's no secret—the wearables market isn't doing as well as it should be right now. According to Parks Associates' estimates, the leading smart watch—the Apple Watch—experienced a YoY sales decline of ~53% in Q3 2016. Even with the Q4 release of the Apple Watch Series 2, Apple may be on track for moderate growth in 2016 relative to its 2015 debut. Compare this to Fitbit, the leading fitness tracker: as per Fitbit's SEC filings, its sales grew 21% YoY in the nine months ending October...

New research from Parks Associates shows that among those of child-rearing age, the presence of children at home correlates with higher adoption of health and wellness devices. In general, adoption of wellness/fitness devices is highest among the young, those with high incomes, and those with children living at home. Almost 40% of those ages 18-24 own a wellness/fitness device, compared to 30% of the general population. 41% of households earning $100k or more annually...

After a week-long rumor mill about Fitbit acquiring the struggling smart watch maker Pebble, the suspense ended today when Fitbit announced that it is acquiring Pebble’s software assets and IPs , not the latter’s hardware business. Though it is a smart move to skip Pebble’s hardware business, the rationale for Fitbit to acquire Pebble’s software business remains unconvincing to me. We don’t know the price tag of the deal so have no idea how much value Fitbit attaches to...

The most recent issue of the  Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology published results of a randomized clinical trial evaluating the impact of fitness tracker usage on consumers’ activity levels and health benefits. The trial, taking place in Singapore and involving 800 participants over a 12-month period from 2013 to 2014, found that fitness trackers, such as Fitbit, do not raise activity levels enough to improve health. Even when employers offer financial rewards, the outcome...

New Parks Associates research reveals that one in seven U.S. broadband households are interested in a remote health monitoring solution, offered by a hospital/physician group, and receiving reminders from them about how to manage chronic health conditions. The international research firm will address patient engagement at the third-annual Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers , August 30 – September 1 in San Diego. The event spotlights health technologies as part of the...

Parks Associates revealed new research showing that over 115 million Americans will require caregiving assistance by 2020. The international research firm notes that caregivers are interested in new technologies like medication management tools, but only 11% are presently using apps with this ability. Parks Associates will address the digital health market at the third-annual Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers , August 30 – September 1 in San Diego. Parks Associates...