The pandemic has changed people’s approach to sports: the mass closing of sports clubs and parks led to the fact that many people began to do sports at home. These times, taking care of one’s health has become especially important. In the early days of self-isolation, downloads of mobile apps increased by 102%, and people searched for online workouts in search engines three times more often.
And now, self-isolation is over. Sports clubs have long been open, but people continue to use sports apps. Some use them as auxiliary tools in their workouts, while others have completely switched to home exercise. The market for apps continues to grow. Therefore, today it is more relevant than ever to invest in fitness tracker app development.
Why invest in fitness tracker app development now
Studies tell us that:
- By the end of this year, global fitness and sports app revenue could reach $6 billion and $20 billion by 2028;
- about 40% of users have downloaded an app at least once during the pandemic;
- of the 84 million active users in 2022, only 22% are those who used the apps before the pandemic;
- At the end of 2021, the number of users opening apps every day increased by 24%.
Over the past five years, the number of sports app downloads has increased by 508%. New ones are constantly appearing among them. Why do people like these apps so much?
- It’s cheaper than the gym. The average price of a year’s subscription is $20. And that includes all the exercise sets, recommendations, and training materials. At the gym, for that kind of money, you can only buy the simplest monthly subscription.
- You can exercise anywhere. No need to go to the gym — it can be done at home or in the park if the weather allows.
- When registering, the user fills out a questionnaire and specifies their height, weight, gender, available equipment, and desired goal. The app builds an individualized nutrition and workout plan. In case of overdoing it, it alerts the user, so they don’t harm their health.
- It’s easy to track progress. With statistics and synchronization with smart gadgets, it’s easier for the user to track their progress in the sport.
- Large selection. Everyone can find something for themselves: there are options for fans of yoga and gymnastics, projects for those who run, for fans of grueling workouts, etc.
Fitness tracker app development: how to monetize a project
Store apps come in paid and free versions. For an app, the second option is appropriate. This means that the user cannot pay money for the download but can purchase it in the app. It works like a trial session at the gym: a person comes in, tries it out, and buys a subscription.
There are two ways to monetize::
- Sell subscriptions. Subscriptions are the main income of sports apps. It has replaced the sale of individual courses. Buying a subscription gives the user temporary access to all materials and exercises. It can be for a month, six months, or a year.
- Connect advertising. These can be banners or commercials when you sign in to the app. There is an option to disable them in the subscription.
But it is better to add advertising in moderation. It should be native and not distract the user from training. A loud clip between exercises is not a good solution: it takes away the pace and spoils the impression of training. But a sponsor banner on the welcome screen is good because it is unobtrusive.
Varieties
Each set of goals suits a different type:
- For workout and exercise. Such help a person engage in physical activity. They offer exercise courses and may have elements of planning and statistics. They also customize a program based on gender, age, height, and weight.
- For nutrition. Without proper nutrition, getting the results you want in sports is harder. That’s why they help you organize a healthy diet. They are like an interactive guide for those who want to achieve a certain body condition: they help to count calories, remind them about food intake, and offer recipes.
- For activity tracking. They synchronize with standard health apps (for example, Health on iOS and Huawei Health on Huawei smartphones) and data from smart devices — smartwatches and bracelets. These count steps, sleep time, running speed, calories burned, heart rate, and other indicators.
Fitness tracker app development: niche
Once you have decided on the type, it is time to choose a niche — for which audience it will be designed.
Based on this data, you can decide what the project will be designed for:
- walking and running;
- warming up or working with heavy weights;
- gaining or losing weight;
- working out at the gym or home;
Depending on the purpose and its niche, its functions can vary significantly.
What functions can be implemented during fitness tracker app development
Basic functions — this is a masthead, regardless of its direction.
- Authorization — creating an account to save and track your progress. For convenience, you can add authorization through Google, Apple ID, and social networks.
- Push notifications — reminders to users about scheduled workouts, meals, and new exercises.
- Social media integration — the ability to share your sport and achievements.
- Exercise Calendar — a function for convenient workout planning.
- Goal Setting — set conditional deadlines and the ability to track achieving the goal.
- Filtering — search for exercises by type, difficulty, and duration.
- Statistics panel — a visual representation of your progress. This makes it easier for the user to see what and how much time they have achieved.
- GPS integration.
- Technical support.
Niche features include those that are used in the creation of specific apps.
- Synchronization with smart devices — the app connects to a smartwatch or bracelet and reads heart rate, body temperature, and position in space.
- Video player — so that the user learns to do exercises not from illustrations but from the example of a live professional.
- Nutrition calculator — suitable for dietary apps, where it is important to maintain nutritional balance and monitor health.
- Chat with Tutor — the ability to correspond with a trainer and get real-time guidance.
- Voice control — switches exercises by voice. It saves the user from the necessity to come up to the smartphone and press the screen each time during the workout.
- Gamification — a competitive element that can motivate the user to exercise harder.
Stages of fitness tracker app development
Fitness tracker app development takes place in several stages.
- Getting to know and evaluating the project. During the working day, the manager of the developing company calls you to find out all the details about the desired product. Next comes the market analysis, considering the functionality and the formation of cost estimates.
- Engineering and design. Designers assembled the layout and developed the screens. After that, they draw the visual elements and create animations.
- Fitness tracker app development and testing. The longest stage. Developers turn the layout into a working project, set up the server, transfer data, and connect the payment systems. They add support for smart devices and integrate built-in apps like health on iOS.
- Testers are tweaking to ensure the product works well on both flagship and low-end smartphones.
- Release and support.
Fitness tracker app development timeline and cost
It takes up to six months. If you need the app as soon as possible, we will develop and release the MVP in 3 months and extend the functionality after that.
The cost depends on the complexity of the design, the features to be implemented, and their number. Fitness tracker app development is an individual approach and unique experience.
