CONSUMER TRENDS
The ‘mentor-to-protégé’ economy: Health clubs could offer members customised eating plans based on shared photo diaries
“Think about how you can incorporate a human touch into the wearables, apps and trackers that will inevitably crowd the fitness market in 2015”
expectations of brands’ participation and commitment to their local area grows. Increasingly, consumers are looking for brands to make a real commitment to their community, for meaningful and lasting enhancement. For example, Australian health
insurer Medibank opened a play space after a survey revealed that 60 per cent of local children played outside for just one hour a day or less. And in a favela in Brazil, Shell renovated a run-down community football pitch; the new centre includes special under-pitch tiles that capture players’ movement, converting the human energy into renewable electricity for floodlights. How could health clubs and fitness
brands tap into this trend in 2015? Understand the lives and concerns of those in your chosen area and serve their needs, or build a lasting space around the needs of a tribe that dominates in your locale.
INTIMATE INFO Conventional wisdom has it that consumers love information and connection, and it’s unlikely that this desire will ever completely dissipate.
But the more complex truth is that consumers are falling out of love with their smartphones, and are instead seeking intuitive and efficient off- screen information delivery channels that provide greater context. In short: they want to share what they feel, not just what they know. Nike was quick to capitalise on this
desire. In February 2014, the brand added a Cheer Me On feature to its running app, allowing runners to sync their run to social media channels and, every time a friend liked or commented, hear a stadium crowd cheering. Other human signals can be used to manage stress: Olive is a wearable bracelet that tracks metrics including heartbeat and skin temperature and, when it detects rising stress levels, uses haptic feedback to prompt breathing exercises. The key takeaway? Think about how
you can incorporate a human touch into the wearables, apps, trackers and smart devices that will inevitably crowd the fitness market in 2015.
CONCLUSION This is just a snapshot of some of the trends that will play out across the
40 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
consumer arena in 2015. They will grow and evolve as consumers find new ways to meet ever-changing expectations, and that will impact everything from connection to self-improvement and status. Amid all this change, the most important thing to remember? Without application, trends remain ‘nice to know’ ideas. So think about how you can adapt, absorb, generate and apply these trends – and your own. Your consumers will thank (and reward) you for it. ●
This feature first appeared in the 2015 Health Club Management Handbook. The digital version of the new Handbook can be viewed at
www.healthclubhandbook.com/2015
Vicki Loomes is trend analyst for
trendwatching.com, one of the world’s leading trend firms, which sends out its free, monthly Trend Briefings in nine languages to more than 160,000 subscribers. Sign up at
www.trendwatching.com
February 2015 © Cybertrek 2015
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