Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Key takeaways
- Market overview
- Usage rate for tech is high and will continue to develop after COVID-19
- Key winning segments
- Who’s innovating
- Technology innovation: medical grade and non-invasive functions emerge
- Functional innovation: mental treatment for physical health issues
- Service innovations: VR technology is expanding into diversified service applications
- Marketing innovation: cross category collaboration
- The consumers
- Most are confident about their current health status
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- Figure 2: Self-evaluation of health, China, December 2020
- Strong eagerness to try new products despite low usage
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- Figure 3: Health tech usage, China, December 2020
- Sleep quality and weight tracking most desired
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- Figure 4: Health app functions, China, December 2020
- Inaccuracy, complexity and privacy leaks are top concerns
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- Figure 5: Concerns about health tech, China, December 2020
- Boosting the effectiveness of health apps lies in data sharing
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- Figure 6: Data sharing, China, December 2020
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- Figure 7: Attitude towards health tech effectiveness, China, December 2020
- Highly-educated consumers show safety concerns about at-home fitness equipment
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- Figure 8: Attitude towards the safety of fitness equipment, by selected education, China, December 2020
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Decoding consumer demand for “practical functions”
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 9: iDDNA Diet program by Suisse Life Science Group, Switzerland, 2018
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- Figure 10: Omron healthcare’s VitalSight and Toothpic’s photo-based dental app, US, 2021
- Growing need for data simplification
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 11: Halo wristband and Moodbeam One wearable, US and UK, 2019-20
- Strengthening the trendiness of health tech products
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 12: Health tech products that integrate well-designed appearance and functional effectiveness, China, 2020
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- Figure 13: The “WeRun” feature on WeChat, China, 2017
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Usage rate for tech is high and will continue to develop after COVID-19
- Fitness apps can drive new users by improving safety and highlighting their own advantages
- Direct-to-consumer (DTC) gene tests become more affordable
- Online healthcare shifting from reactive care to health sensitive users
- Future opportunities
Market Overview
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- Usage rate for tech is high and will continue to develop after COVID-19
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- Figure 14: Monthly spending changes on technology and communication products (a), China, March-November 2020
- Highlights of winning segments
- Wellbeing apps show promise in lower tier markets
- Fitness apps are hot segments to drive consumer growth
- Direct-to-consumer (DTC) gene testing becomes more affordable and accessible
- Online healthcare shifting from reactive care to health sensitive users
- Future opportunities
- Better accuracy for personalised health service lies in considering multiple health factors
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- Figure 15: InsideTracker, US, 2017
- Directing personal health data to the right persons
Who’s Innovating?
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- Technological innovation
- At-home smart fitness at the forefront
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- Figure 16: Huami’s Amazfit Home Studio, China, January 2020
- Wearable devices entering medical-grade health tracking to demonstrate better safety
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- Figure 17: OPPO Watch ECG and BioButton, China and US, 2020-21
- Non-invasive health technologies get popular at CES 2020
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- Figure 18: Non-invasive health technology devices presented at CES, US, 2020
- Predictive technology to recognise signs of health issue before it occurs
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- Figure 19: CarePredict Tempo™ Series 3 smart wearable wristband, US, 2019
- Functional innovation
- Helping with better eye health and sleep quality
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- Figure 20: OPPO ColorOS7 and Bose Sleepbuds II, China and UK, 2020
- Mental treatment for physical health issues
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- Figure 21: Headspace’s meditation for weight loss program, US, 2021
- Service innovation
- VR technology is expanding into diversified service applications
- Virtual group activities add excitement to home based workouts
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- Figure 22: Bike Exchange – Where the World Rides series, 2020
- Marketing Innovation
- Cross category collaboration
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- Figure 23: Short video campaign of Yili and Xiaomi’s collaboration plans, China, December 2020
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Strong eagerness to try despite low usage
- Middle-aged look for prevention while young people look for fun features
- Inaccuracy, complexity and privacy leaks are top concerns
- Boosting the effectiveness of health apps lies in data sharing
- Highly-educated consumers show safety concerns about at-home fitness equipment
Self-evaluation of Health
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- Most are confident about their current health status
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- Figure 24: Self-evaluation of health, China, December 2020
- Better-educated consumers are more confident – physical health in particular
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- Figure 25: Self-evaluation of health, by education, China, December 2020
Health Tech Usage
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- Strong eagerness to try dedicated devices and services though usage is low
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- Figure 26: Health tech usage, China, December 2020
- Personalised DNA programs, diet management and mental health apps are most attractive
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- Figure 27: Analysis of current health tech ownership and interest in owning, China, December 2020
- Opportunity areas lie with lower tier city consumers
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- Figure 28: Select health tech usage (I don’t own one but interested in buying/downloading), by city tier, China, December 2020
- Middle-aged hold strong desire for prevention while young people look for gamified features in devices
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- Figure 29: Select health tech usage (I don’t own one but interested in buying/downloading), by age, China, December 2020
- Demand for mental health apps increases when physical health becomes worse
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- Figure 30: Active usage and future interest in downloading apps related to mental wellness, by self-evaluation of physical health, China, December 2020
Health App Functions
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- Sleep quality and weight tracking most desired
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- Figure 31: Health app functions, China, December 2020
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- Figure 32: Health app functions – TURF analysis, China, December 2020
- Desired health app functions are associated with health goals at different ages
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- Figure 33: Selected health app function, by age, China, December 2020
Concerns About Health Tech
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- Inaccuracy, complexity and privacy leaks are top concerns
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- Figure 34: Concerns about health tech, China, December 2020
- Parents pay attention to product appearance
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- Figure 35: Concerns about health tech (the product appearance is not good-looking), by family structure, China, December 2020
- Looking for adequate guidance in menstrual cycle, cold and fever tracking
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- Figure 36: Concerns about health tech (inadequate guidance for usage), by selected health app functions, China, December 2020
Data Sharing
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- High willingness in sharing health data
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- Figure 37: Data sharing, China, December 2020
- Responding to different needs from defined age groups
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- Figure 38: Selected data sharing, by age, China, December 2020
- Fascia gun, game console and DNA health program seekers want to share data with fitness coaches
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- Figure 39: Data sharing with fitness coach, by interest in buying selected health tech, China, December 2020
Attitudes Towards Health Tech
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- What makes a health app “effective”?
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- Figure 40: Attitude towards health tech effectiveness, China, December 2020
- What makes a health tech product “trendy”?
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- Figure 41: Attitude towards the trendiness of health tech products, by consumers who would like to share personal health data with social media, China, December 2020
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- Figure 42: Attitude towards the trendiness of health tech products, by attitudes towards health tech product appearance and popular health tech functionalities, China, December 2020
- Highly-educated consumers show safety concerns about at-home fitness equipment
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- Figure 43: Attitude towards the safety of fitness equipment, by selected education, China, December 2020
- Figure 44: Apple’s Fitness+, US, 2020
- Health-confident consumers want simplified health data
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- Figure 45: Attitude towards information provided by health tech, by consumers who rate their physical and mental health to have improved, China, December 2020
Meet the Mintropolitans
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- More interest in trying DNA-based personalised health programs and fascia guns
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- Figure 46: Selected health tech usage (I don't own one, but interested in buying/downloading), by consumer classification, China, December 2020
- Stronger willingness to share data with professional health experts and brands
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- Figure 47: Data sharing, by consumer classification, China, December 2020
- Stronger needs for recording stress and anxiety levels in health apps
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- Figure 48: Health app function, by consumer classification, China, December 2020
Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
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- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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