Download “QUANTIFIED SELF” DIGITAL TOOLS

ROCKET FUEL:
“QUANTIFIED
SELF”
DIGITAL TOOLS
A CPG MARKETING OPPORTUNITY
Q4 2014
OVE RVI E W
Quantified Self (QS) is an emerging area of technology that
allows consumers to use a variety of digital tools to collect
data and learn about their behaviors and habits of everyday
life. The increasing number QS digital tools available today
includes smartwatches, wearable fitness trackers, apps,
and websites. As consumers continue to integrate these
new QS digital tools into their lives, the data collected by
these tools presents new opportunities for CPG marketers
to learn more about consumers’ behavior and better reach
their target audiences.
To better understand this new technology trend and assess its impact on
the future of digital media for CPG marketers, Rocket Fuel conducted a
custom primary research study among consumers in the U.S. to:
• Understand consumers’ interest in using health and fitness QS tools
• Gauge current usage of health and fitness QS tools
• Understand the impact of health and fitness QS tools on consumer behavior
• Evaluate consumers’ openness to sharing their QS data with CPG advertisers
STUDY DETAILS
This survey was conducted online using a trusted third-party research vendor and fielded from
December 3 – 10, 2014, among 1,262 total respondents who live in the U.S., use a computer
regularly, and either currently use a Quantified Self tool to track their health and fitness or who
are interested in using a Quantified Self tool to track their health and fitness. 56% of U.S. consumers
qualified for our study. All market-sizing data is based to 2,245 total respondents with sample
composition representative of the U.S. population.
ROCKET FUEL: QUANTIFIED SELF DIGITAL TOOLS Q4 2014
1
MARKET SIZING
ONE IN THREE U.S. CONSUMERS CURRENTLY USES A QS TOOL TO TRACK
THEIR HEALTH AND FITNESS.
QS tools are gaining traction among consumers, with 31% currently using a QS tool to track their
health and fitness, food, diet, sleep, and/or mood. Additionally, 20% of consumers have someone else
in their household who uses a QS tool, and 25% of consumers are non-users but are interested in using
a QS tool for health and fitness. Nearly one in five U.S. consumers planned to give a QS tool to someone
as a gift this holiday season, further demonstrating the appetite for these types of digital tools and the
desire to track health and fitness behavior digitally.
31%
25%
OF U.S. CONSUMERS WHO
OF U.S. CONSUMERS
ARE NOT USING A QS
CURRENTLY USE A QS TOOL
TOOL TO TRACK THEIR
TO TRACK THEIR HEALTH
HEALTH AND FITNESS
AND FITNESS*
ARE INTERESTED IN
USING ONE
20%
18 %
OF U.S. CONSUMERS
OF U.S. CONSUMERS
HAVE SOMEONE ELSE IN
PLAN TO GIVE A QS
THEIR HOUSEHOLD WHO
TOOL AS A GIFT TO
USES A QS TOOL FOR
SOMEONE THIS
HEALTH AND FITNESS
HOLIDAY SEASON
Based to total U.S. consumers, ages 18-64 (n=2,245)
*including wearable devices, apps, and websites
ROCKET FUEL: QUANTIFIED SELF DIGITAL TOOLS Q4 2014
2
HEALTH & FITNESS TOOLS
FITBIT AND NIKE+ FUELBAND ARE THE MOST POPULAR WEARABLE FITNESS
TRACKERS USED TODAY, BUT STANDALONE WEBSITES AND APPS ARE EVEN
MORE POPULAR THAN WEARABLES TO TRACK HEALTH AND FITNESS.
Wearable health and fitness trackers are becoming more and more popular among consumers. 16% of U.S.
consumers own a wearable fitness tracker, with Fitbit and Nike + FuelBand being the most common brands
owned. Half (51%) of those who use wearable trackers use an app to track the health and fitness metrics
collected by their wearable device, while 24% use a website, and 25% use both an app and a website.
14% of U.S. consumers say they are likely to purchase a wearable fitness tracking device in the next six
months, while 12% are still undecided.
14% OF U.S.
CONSUMERS SAY
THEY ARE LIKELY
TO PURCHASE A
WEARABLE DEVICE
IN THE NEXT SIX
MONTHS
16% OF U.S.
CONSUMERS USE A
WEARABLE HEALTH
AND FITNESS
TRACKING DEVICE
29% OF U.S.
CONSUMERS USE A
WEBSITE OR AN APP
NOT ASSOCIATED WITH
A WEARABLE DEVICE
TO TRACK THEIR
HEALTH AND FITNESS
Based to total U.S. consumers, ages 18-64 (n=2,245)
Wearable devices are not the only QS tools consumers use: 29% of U.S. consumers use a website or
an app not associated with a wearable QS tool to track their health and fitness. This includes 88% of
wearable users demonstrating the voracious appetite these consumers have for their behavioral data.
My Fitness Pal is by far the most common website/app used, while a few others that were mentioned
include: Nike+, WebMD, Map My Fitness, Apple Health, Spark People, Lose it, and Run Keeper.
WEARABLE QUANTIFIED SELF HEATH AND FITNESS
Based to U.S. consumers who own and use a Quantified Self health and fitness tracker or are interested in using one (n=1,262)
I own and use it
Fitbit
12%
Nike+ FuelBand
Samsung Gear Fit
Aware of it, but don’t own one
60%
10%
28%
60%
6%
31%
50%
Microsoft Band 5
%
40
Garmin Vivofit Fitness Band 4%
41%
Jawbone Up 3%
44%
55
%
%
54%
42%
Omron 3
26
%
%
Pebble Smartwatch 3
55%
70
29
%
Basis Peak 2%
Never heard of it
68%
%
21%
ROCKET FUEL: QUANTIFIED SELF DIGITAL TOOLS Q4 2014
%
77%
3
PROFILE OF QS USERS AND INTERESTED NON-USERS
QS USERS TEND TO SKEW YOUNGER (AGES 25-44), AND EITHER
HISPANIC OR AFRICAN AMERICAN. THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE
HIGHER TECH OWNERSHIP, HIGHER EDUCATION, BE EMPLOYED FULL
TIME, MARRIED, AND HAVE HIGHER HOUSEHOLD INCOME THAN
INTERESTED NON-USERS.
DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF QS USERS AND INTERESTED NON-USERS
Based to QS users (n=699) and Interested non-users (n=563)
QS users
Interested non-users
% of total sample
60%
28%
Male
44%
47%
53%
Female
9
9
18 to 24
30%
16%
35 to 44
26
45 to 54
29%
56%
%
%
25 to 34
55 to 64
55%
45%
%
28%
22%
18%
27%
14%
21%
27%
73%
White/Caucasian
81%
14
%
Hispanic
9%
African-American
10%
13%
Own a smartphone
87%
Own a tablet
College degree
33%
Graduate degree
Doctorate degree
77
52%
24
13%
96%
%
41%
%
4%
3%
Employed Full-time
68%
54%
Married
53%
HHI $100,000 - $124,999
11%
HHI $125,000 or more
11%
64%
14%
17%
ROCKET FUEL: QUANTIFIED SELF DIGITAL TOOLS Q4 2014
4
USAGE OF HEALTH AND FITNESS TOOLS
WEIGHT, CALORIES, AND DISTANCE ARE TRACKED MOST OFTEN; METRICS ARE
CHECKED VERY FREQUENTLY – A FEW TIMES A WEEK OR DAILY.
Those who use a QS tool for health and fitness most often track their weight, calories, distance traveled,
diet, and heart rate. Women are more likely to track their diet (calories consumed) than men, while men
are more likely to track their heart rate, blood pressure, body fat, and running speed than women.
Those who use a wearable device are more likely to track all metrics than those who just use an app or
website, especially quality of sleep, mood, body fat, heart rate, and average speed.
HEALTH AND FITNESS METRICS TRACKED USING QS TOOLS
Based to QS users (n=699)
Weight
51%
Number of calories burned
47
Number of steps you take
47%
FUN FACT:
%
Diet (calories consumed)
Aggregated sleep data
from Jawbone Up users
in the San Francisco area
shows an interesting trend
of sleep interruption at
the time of the recent
earthquake by distance
of users from the epicenter.
42%
Heart rate
33
Blood pressure
25
Quality of sleep
25%
%
%
Body fat
24%
Average running speed
(Aug 2014, https://jawbone.com/
blog/napa-earthquake-effecton-sleep/)
21%
Mood
13%
Those who use a wearable device check their health and fitness metrics more frequently than those
who only use an app or website (83% a few times a week vs. 60%). In general, women are more likely
to check their metrics daily than men (34% vs. 28%). On average, consumers had been using QS tools for
nine months to track their health and fitness
FREQUENCY OF CHECKIG HEALTH AND FITNESS METRICS
Based to wearable QS users (n=349), Website/app users but non-wearable users (n=350)
Wearable Device Users
Website/App Users (non-wearable users)
44%
39%
36%
24%
12%
17%
3
%
Every day
A few times
a week
Once a week
ROCKET FUEL: QUANTIFIED SELF DIGITAL TOOLS Q4 2014
11%
9%
A few times
a month
1%
3
%
Once a month
2%
Less than once
a month
5
IMPACT OF HEALTH AND FITNESS TOOLS ON LIFESTYLE
CONSUMERS HAVE DRAMATICALLY CHANGED THEIR LIFESTYLES
AND BEHAVIORS AS A RESULT OF USING QS TOOLS.
Users of QS tools are much more likely to have experienced positive, healthier life changes within the
last year than non-users, especially related to eating healthier, exercising more, and being in better
shape overall. Wearable device users are more likely to have experienced all of these life changes within
the past year relative to website/apps users who don’t use wearably. Most notably they are more likely
to have higher endurance, sleep better/more, and run faster/longer distances.
LIFE CHANGES AS COMPARED TO A YEAR AGO
Based to QS users (n=699) and Interested non-users (n=563)
QS Tool Users
Interested Non-users
You are eating healthier
60%
You exercise more
50%
25%
You are in better shape
41%
21%
You are happier
40%
27%
You are healthier overall
39%
23%
You’ve lost weight
26%
Your mood is better
26%
You sleep better
37%
36%
32%
19%
You are eating less
26%
You have higher endurance
24%
17%
You can run longer distances
5%
You can run faster
4%
29%
25%
11%
You sleep more
None of these
51%
34%
21%
19%
8%
ROCKET FUEL: QUANTIFIED SELF DIGITAL TOOLS Q4 2014
26%
6
IMPACT OF HEALTH AND FITNESS TOOLS ON LIFESTYLE
Nine in ten QS users say tracking their health and fitness metrics has impacted their lifestyle and
behavior. Many QS users say they have lost weight by using the tools, they eat healthier, they are more
aware of what they eat, they exercise more often, and they are more aware of their habits and progress
in working toward a goal.
90%
OF HEALTH AND
FITNESS QS USERS
SAY USING THE TOOLS
HAS IMPACTED THEIR
LIFESTYLE AND
BEHAVIOR.
“I HAVE LOST OVER
70 POUNDS SINCE
I STARTED USING
THE WATCH.”
“IT IS FUN AND
EASY AND IT
GIVES ME MORE
ACCOUNTABILITY.”
“IT MAKES ME
EXERCISE MORE,
EAT LESS, SLEEP
BETTER, AND LIVE A
HEALTHIER LIFE.”
“I’M MORE
CONSCIOUS OF MY
CALORIC INTAKE, I
CHECK LABELS MORE
OFTEN NOW. I WEIGH
MYSELF WEEKLY NOW
TO SEE IF I’M ON THE
RIGHT TRACK.”
“I EAT BETTER, I
PURPOSELY WALK AS
MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO
HIT MY GOAL IN STEPS
FOR EVERY DAY.”
Based to QS users (n=699)
Consumers have also modified their purchasing habits as a result of using QS health and fitness tools.
CPG categories that have benefited from the usage of these tools include fresh produce, vitamins/
supplements, protein, and dairy, while spending in other categories has declined, such as frozen
foods, carb-heavy foods, OTC/prescription drugs, and alcohol.
CHANGE IN PURCHASE HABITS AS RESULT OF USING QS TOOLS
Based to QS users (n=699), Website/app users but non-wearable users (n=350)
I now purchase more of these products
I now purchase less of these products
Fresh produce
54
Vitamins and supplements
38
Dairy products
25%
18%
Personal-care products
17%
OTC drugs
52
59%
Alcohol
11%
ROCKET FUEL: QUANTIFIED SELF DIGITAL TOOLS Q4 2014
14%
73%
11%
57
29
%
48%
13%
11%
16%
20%
68%
14
Prescription drugs
13%
57%
%
14%
10
%
59%
22%
Cooking tools (pots, pans, utensils, etc.)
6%
%
28%
Non-alcoholic beverages
Bread, snacks, cereal, chips, cookies, etc.
40%
%
Meat, poultry, fish, eggs
Frozen foods
I purchase the same amount of these products
%
%
38%
60%
27%
62%
51%
27%
38%
7
IMPACT OF HEALTH AND FITNESS TOOLS ON LIFESTYLE
More than half of QS users check labels on food and beverage products and cook more often as a result
of using QS tools. One in four participating consumers have changed food brands as a result of using QS
tools, and nearly one in five have changed brands of personal-care products. Men are more likely to have
changed brands of personal-care products and started to take vitamins/supplements as a result of using
the tools, while women are more likely to have changed brands of food or beverage products, started
to check calorie/nutrition information, and started to look for new recipes. CPG companies can align with
these behavior trends by highlighting low-calorie and nutrient information in marketing messages,
producing smaller product packaging to aid in portion control, and by providing healthy recipes featuring
their products to appeal to this growing consumer segment.
ACTIVITIES CONSUMERS HAVE DONE AS A RESULT OF USING QS TOOLS
Based on QS users (n=699)
Check calorie/nutrition information
on food and beverage products
54%
54%
Cook meals at home more often
45%
Look for new recipes
44%
Take vitamins/supplements
Purchase smaller quantities of
food and beverage products
29%
Changed brands of food
or beverage products
Changed brands of
personal-care products
24%
17%
Based on QS users (n=699)
ROCKET FUEL: QUANTIFIED SELF DIGITAL TOOLS Q4 2014
8
IMPACT OF HEALTH AND FITNESS TOOLS ON DIGITAL MEDIA
QS USERS ARE MORE RECEPTIVE TO DIGITAL MEDIA THAN NON-USERS;
INCREASING RELEVANCE OF DIGITAL ADS FOR CONSUMERS OVERALL
COULD BENEFIT CPG ADVERTISERS.
QS users are more likely to recall seeing digital ads than non-users, including CPG digital ads specifically,
and they show a much stronger likelihood of purchasing a CPG product as a result of seeing digital ads.
The CPG digital ads that are most often recalled by QS users are for household and personal-care
products (both have a 28% past-month recall level).
PAST MONTH DIGITAL AD RECALL AND RESULTING CPG PURCHASES
Based to QS users (n=699) and Interested non-users (n=563)
Interested non-users
QS users
63
%
54%
48%
33%
24%
5%
Any digital
ad recall
CPG digital
ad recall
Purchased CPG product
due to seeing digital ad
In general, the majority of consumers pay at least some attention to the CPG digital ads they see
across their Internet-connected devices, but there is room for improvement. Among those who pay
little to no attention to CPG digital ads, 35% say the ads do not catch their attention, 31% say they
are not interested in the products advertised, 23% say the offers in the ads are not compelling, and
21% say the products they see are not relevant to their lifestyle.
ATTENTION PAID TO CPG DIGITAL ADS BY RELEVANCE OF CPG DIGITAL ADS SEEN
Based to U.S. consumers who own and use a Quantified Self health and fitness tracker or are interested in using one (n=1,262)
1 - Not at all relevant to my lifestyle
5 - A lot of attention 1% 2% 5%
4 1%
17%
1 - No attention
3
4
5 - Extremely relevant to my lifestyle
75%
18%
67%
3 1% 8%
2
2
15%
66%
4%
21%
41%
35%
ROCKET FUEL: QUANTIFIED SELF DIGITAL TOOLS Q4 2014
49%
30%
4%
7%
30%
3% 2%
9
IMPACT OF HEALTH AND FITNESS TOOLS ON DIGITAL MEDIA
In fact, there is a direct correlation between the attention paid to CPG digital ads and the relevance
of the content featured in the ads: the more relevant an ad, the more it resonates with consumers.
Increasing relevance of digital ads would not only garner more attention from consumers, but one in four
(27%) say they would be more likely to purchase the products advertised.
Consumers have a desire and expectation for more personalized digital media from CPG advertisers.
Although consumers do notice some personalization of digital media today, there is room for
improvement. It behooves CPG marketers to deliver the most personalized and relevant digital
media possible to consumers today by leveraging cutting-edge technology and Big Data to retain
loyalty and attract new customers before they get disenfranchised with the brand.
AGREEMENT WITH STATEMENTS ABOUT DIGITAL MEDIA
Based to U.S. consumers who own and use a Quantified Self health and fitness tracker or are interested in using one (n=1,262)
I often see digital ads for
products I have absolutely
no interest in
70%
Given the amount of data
advertisers have access to,
I expect digital ads to be
more tailored to my personal
interest and lifestyle
54%
I wish the digital ads I saw
were more tailored to my
personal interests and lifestyle
49%
I am noticing that digital ads
I see are more relevant to my
personal interests and lifestyle
than they used to be, but they
could be more accurate
When I see a digital ad for a
product that’s not relevant to my
lifestyle, it negatively impacts
my opinion of that brand
ROCKET FUEL: QUANTIFIED SELF DIGITAL TOOLS Q4 2014
43%
29%
10
COMFORT WITH SHARING QS DATA WITH ADVERTISERS
THE MAJORITY OF QS USERS ARE COMFORTABLE WITH SHARING
THEIR DATA WITH ADVERTISERS TO RECEIVE MORE PERSONALIZED
DIGITAL ADVERTISING.
The comfort level of consumers with sharing their QS data is fairly high, with the majority of consumers
showing at least some comfort with the idea. Interestingly, QS users are more comfortable with sharing
their data than interested non-users, perhaps due to their knowledge of the data, the value proposition of
increased personalization and the receptiveness of digital advertising overall among this segment.
COMFORT LEVEL OF SHARING DATA TO RECEIVE MORE PERSONALIZED DIGITAL ADVERTISING
Based to QS users (n=699) and Interested non-users (n=563)
1 - Not at all comfortable
QS users
Interested non-users
13%
17%
12%
2
3
4
5 - Extremely comfortable
32%
20%
27%
37%
16%
19%
7%
QS users are most comfortable with sharing health and fitness, and food/diet data, and least comfortable
with sharing sleep and mood/self-improvement data, although comfort levels are comparable. Additionally,
when posed with the incentive of receiving discounts and coupons in exchange for sharing QS data, 75% of
QS users say they would be more likely to share it. Even among those QS users who said they are not at
all comfortable with sharing their data, one-third (33%) say they would be more likely to share their data in
exchange for discounts or coupons.
COMFORTABLE (4+5) WITH SHARING TYPES OF QS DATA AMONG QS USERS
Based to QS users (n=699)
56%
Health & fitness data
56%
Food & diet data
ROCKET FUEL: QUANTIFIED SELF DIGITAL TOOLS Q4 2014
48%
Sleep data
45%
Moods & self-improved data
11
THE QUANTIFIED SELF MOVEMENT PRESENTS BOTH A RISK
AND OPPORTUNITY FOR CPG MARKETERS.
SUMMARY
• The Quantified Self movement is gaining traction among consumers, and new health and fitness tracking
tools are continually becoming available in the marketplace.
• These tools and data are impacting how consumers live, the choices they make, and the products they
purchase; i.e. exercising more, eating heathier foods in smaller portions, and changing brand preferences.
• Quantified Self users are more receptive to digital media than non-users and are willing to trade their
personal data in exchange for more personalized advertising tailored to their own QS interests.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• CPG marketers should recognize how QS consumers’ evolving lifestyles and product choices will
impact their business outcomes, and use this information to develop advertising, and media
strategies to connect with these consumers in effective ways.
• Over the next 12-18 months, CPG marketers should put together a plan for leveraging QS data
and build KPIs around that data.
• CPG marketers should explore partners who can leverage QS data and provide methods of
optimizing toward QS data-based goals.
For example, instead of using surveys to measure purchase intent of a product (i.e. frozen food,
carbonated soda, or cereal), a brand can leverage QS data (i.e., calorie/food tracking data) to understand
actual consumption and the characteristics of various consumers (i.e., heavy, medium, or light users).
This insight can inform specific creative (i.e. a 100-calorie serving) as well as segment targeting,
thus helping to increase the overall impact of the message and efficiency of the media (less waste). By
monitoring this data over time, it can also provide an offline proxy of success.
ROCKET FUEL: QUANTIFIED SELF DIGITAL TOOLS Q4 2014
12
ABOUT ROCKET FUEL
Rocket Fuel delivers a leading programmatic media-buying
platform at Big Data scale that harnesses the power of
artificial intelligence (AI) to improve marketing ROI in digital
media across web, mobile, video, and social channels. Rocket
Fuel powers digital advertising and marketing programs
globally for customers in North America, Europe, and APAC.
Customers trust Rocket Fuel’s Advertising That Learns®
platform to achieve brand and direct-response objectives in
diverse industries from luxury cars to financial services to
retail. Rocket Fuel currently operates in more than 20 offices
worldwide and trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market
under the ticker symbol “FUEL.” For more information, please
visit www.rocketfuel.com or call 1-888-717-8873.