Abandonment rate

[Gandhi]

I read this somewhere dont think its true

Comments anyone ?

Abandonment rate of smartwatches is 29 per cent, and fitness trackers 30 per cent, as people find little use with these fragile devices, a Gartner survey has found. "The abandonment rate of smartwatches is 29 per cent, and 30 per cent for fitness trackers, because people do not find them useful, they get bored of them or they break," research firm Gartner's survey said underlining the need for the more compelling value proposition to drive greater adoption of such devices. Terming the dropout from device usage as a "serious problem" for the industry, Angela McIntyre, research director at Gartner said that the abandonment rate is "quite high relative to the usage rate". "To offer a compelling enough value proposition, the uses for the wearable devices need to be distinct from what smartphones typically provide. Wearables makers need to engage users with incentives and gamification," McIntyre added. The Gartner personal technologies study surveyed 9,592 online respondents from Australia, the US and the UK between June and August 2016 to track consumers' attitudes towards wearables, particularly buying behaviour for smartwatches, fitness trackers and virtual reality (VR) glasses. The survey found that smartwatch adoption is still in the early adopter stage (10 per cent), while fitness trackers have reached early mainstream (19 per cent). Only eight per cent of consumers had used VR glasses/head-mounted displays (excluding cardboard versions). The survey found that people typically purchase smartwatches and fitness trackers for their own use, with 34 per cent of fitness trackers and 26 per cent of smartwatches given as gifts. "Continued growth in the adoption of smartwatches and fitness trackers will now be from mainstream consumers instead of early technology adopters," said McIntyre. The greatest hurdle for fitness tracker and smartwatch providers to overcome is the consumer perception that the devices do not offer a compelling enough value proposition, she added. Survey respondents indicated that wearable devices are priced too high, in relation to their perceived usefulness. This provides an opportunity to wearable providers who do not have a strong brand name to come out with good quality alternatives priced significantly lower than the top brands, it pointed out. According to the Gartner survey, the US is leading smartwatch usage at 12 per cent, with the UK at 9 per cent and Australia at 7 per cent. US also led fitness tracker usage at 23 per cent, with the UK at 15 per cent and Australia at 19 per cent

[WendyB]

I believe its probably true. A lot of people look for a quik fix. Doesnt happen

They think a device will solve all thier problems. You need to solve your problems. A device can help but if you dont chnage your ways such as eating etc it does no good

[Dominique]

A couple of years ago, I wrote this post on the same subject. The article said the abandonment rate (for fitness trackers) was 75% in the first three months..

[Mukluk4]

Fitness trackers are a tool to help change someone's lifestyle.  If used correctly they should be something that ends up being abandoned as the activities are second nature and don't "need" to be tracked. 

After each of my trackers broke/malfunctioned, I've said I wouldn't by another.  Fitbit has been quick to replace them, so I've still kept up the habit.

[A_Lurker]

I suspect it's no different for people who join a gym and then don't go, or people who start a diet and don't finish, or people who purchase fitness equipment and end up using it as a clothing rack.  I'm actually surprised that the abandonement is so low.  You would also have to factor in things like self purchase, gifts, and even the original reason for purchase.

A fitness tracker is a tool.  It can be used well, or badly.  However, if you take the data you get (calories burned) and track what you eat (calories in) you can use it to change your weight or even just your fitness level if weight loss isn't your goal.

[WendyB]

Very well Put @A_Lurker

[bcalvanese]

As soon as I started reading this I thought.... Hmmm...

Does this meen the retention rate is 70% and 71%...?

If this is true then the glass is way more than half full...:)

[userzero]

Lol - I suppose I fall into both demographics...I abandoned my MSFT Band 2 in favor of my Surge.

The Band was way more comfortable and it's calendar/text/call notifications are really useful, but ultimately, the Surge's battery life and the app's useability won the day.

[Lindsay67]

SO I am on my second fit bit.  The first one was a fitbit charge that was given to us for a work initiative.  Frankly I was not at that point willing or ready to make a lifestyle change and it lasted about a month.  2 Years later I bought myself a charge with the HR monitor to support a change I wanted to make and it has been a valuable tool in helping my through a lifestyle change.  In 3 months it has only left my arm to charge. I think that is one of the adoption keys.  You need to be ready to make a change.

[Annabel398]

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@Gandhi wrote:
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Abandonment rate of smartwatches is 29 per cent, and fitness trackers 30 per cent ...

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Hmm, and what's the abandonment rate for "quitting smoking"? How about "getting sober"? I believe they're pretty high, but I still wouldn't scoff at an aid for those goals, even if it were not 100% effective.

I read these articles and I think: The people who expect a fitness tracker to be a magic wand, those who never take the time to find out all the tools a fitness tracker puts at your fingertips, those who were given a tracker because someone ELSE thought they were ready for a change... no surprise that the abandonment rate is fairly high for those folks.

(I also think: Who benefits from publishing articles like this??)

When the student is ready, the teacher appears, as they say.

[Scwhinn_Guy]

"Choose Your Level of Involvement"~Tyler Durden from film "Fight Club".  Bottom line is that a fitness tracker is nothing more than a tool for added motivation & lifestyle tracking.  A tool is only as useful as the technician that is using it.  

I had a lesser fitness tracker, that did not have the same level of community & motivational tools... I went from averaging under 10000 steps a day to over 11000 and normally hitting around 12 a day because I compete against friends that are still active duty military that are logging 20000 daily.  

Moral of the story, yes abandonment is a problem... but I don't care about the "30%" that is going to just use this thing temporarily & then forget about it.  I only care about myself, & my friends that I compete against.  I want to get healthier; for me this is a resource.  

Also, look at the levels of obesity, heart disease, & inactivity in the USA vs other industrialized nations.  We are working ourselves into a grave!  Desk Jobs are one of the best ways to committ early self styled suicide.  Strong words, but sitting all day is a great way to take years off of your lifespan.  For me, I am making the choice for Life... I can't make that choice for anyone else... but if you want to make that choice with me, than LETS GO!

[zerocontent]

Personally I'm abandoning the tech because it's basically disposable.  I got a fitbit charge last xmas and it was done by August.  The replacement I got is pretty much done now.  A friend of mine went through 3 of them in a year for various issues as well.  I'm not going to pay $150 plus every year for a product that is supposedly designed for active people that has no serviceability and is so fragile.  Why would you design a device with a rechargeable battery (that has a limited life span) and not be able to easily replace it with a new one?  I see they smartened up and now you can replace the band on the Charge 2 instead of having to replace the whole device but, too little too late for me.

It's been a fun year long experiment but it's provided little value.  GPS tracking apps on my phone have provided much more useful info.

[USAF-Larry]

Sorry you've had so many problems with your trackers, @zerocontent.  We hate to see you go, but best of luck with future fitness trackers.