Commentary

Moms Are On The Move ... But Health And Fitness Trackers Aren't Keeping Up

For a lot of working moms, just getting through the day can feel like running a marathon. And as any marathon runner will tell you, if you’re not making health and fitness a priority in your life, you’re never going to make it to the finish line.

When I first had kids, I thought I’d never have the time or energy to maintain a regular exercise routine — much less a healthy, well-balanced diet. But I quickly realized that nutrition and exercise were what actually gave me the energy to get through the day. 

Now I make it a priority to stick to a healthy diet, and I take five-mile runs three or four times a week. Tracking my runs on my smartphone gives me the motivation I need to stick with my routine, and since I’m already listening to music on my phone, it doesn’t take any extra time or effort to log my miles. The app I use, Strava, uses GPS technology to detect my speed and distance, and automatically uploads the information to my account. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it fits seamlessly into my life.

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When it comes to tracking my weight and nutrition information, however, I still haven’t found the perfect app. Somehow, entering all of that information takes too much time, with too few rewards.

Moms agree with me

While some apps are simple to use, our research reveals that there’s still a significant gap between what moms want from health and fitness tracking, and what’s currently available. It’s a challenge for us to fit healthy habits into our busy lives, and while tracking can provide the motivation and feedback we need, we’re not willing to invest too much time or energy to, say, enter every calorie we eat or record our weight every day. 

Here’s how moms respond when asked, “Which of the following do you currently track and which would you track on your smartphone if there were an easy way to transfer the information to your phone?” 

Category Currently Track Would Track If It Were Easier

Activity/Fitness: 31% 45%

Weight: 30% 45% 

Nutrition: 23% 45%

Sleep Pattern: 8% 32%

Our research also shows that while only 19% of moms currently own a wearable fitness tracker such as a Fitbit, an impressive 80% of them are very or somewhat interested in these products – probably thanks to their convenience and ease of use. Clearly, this is an area of strong interest for moms, and a big opportunity for marketers and developers.

What about kids?

My interest in health and fitness extends to my kids as well. Are they eating well? Are they getting enough exercise? Is their development on track for their age? In today’s world, it seems like mobile technology should be able to help answer these questions. Unfortunately, we have yet to find the apps and products that will make it easy for busy moms to track their kids’ health. 

Here’s what moms say when asked, “Which of the following do you currently track and which would you track if it were easier?” 

Category Currently Track Would Track If It Were Easier

Child’s Development: 30% 40%

Child’s Nutrition: 10% 27%

Child’s Activity: 12% 26%

Mirroring our findings about wearable fitness trackers, we found that 70% of moms are somewhat or very interested in a wearable baby monitor that would track their baby’s movements and warn them if something were wrong, and 67% would be somewhat or very interested in an activity tracker for their child.

On your marks, get set …

With so much interest in health and fitness tracking, technology developers are already working hard to create new apps and products that capitalize on this trend. Companies who want to reach a large and important part of this market — moms — should be thinking about how they can make their products as easy and convenient as possible. Because clearly, helping Mom reach her health and fitness goals — without adding to her hectic schedule — is the only way to win this race.

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