Improving our health and fitness is a top new year’s resolution for many and app downloads verify this trend. From Q1 2019 to 2022, downloads of health and fitness apps in Europe increased. This was followed by a slump in installs during the second quarter. But according to new data from Sensor Tower, there’s one category that bucks the trend – Women’s Health and Fitness apps. Let’s dive in.
Europeans spent almost $300 million on health apps in 2022
Spending on health and fitness apps among users in Europe rose 5% in 2022 compared with the previous year to an average of $570 per minute. There’s no denying that the category benefitted hugely from the COVID-19 pandemic.
During 2020 and 2021, fitness app adoption shot up as people had more time to exercise and couldn’t visit their fitness studios. This was followed by a cooling period in 2022. Yet, apps in the category reached 232 million installs in 2022, which is 16% higher than in 2019. However, some markets have been hit harder by the economic slump that followed which translates to lower spending in-app.
Europeans spent more in fitness apps during Q1
Source: Sensor Tower
Strava, MyFitnessPal and FitBit were the top-grossing health and fitness apps in Europe, controlling over a third of app revenue and in-app purchases.
Strava alone accounted for 19% of the total.
You need $4.2 million in revenues to rise to the top
The success of health and fitness apps means that competition is fierce. To rank among the top apps in the category, developers need around $4.2 million in gross revenues a month on the leading app stores. That’s 23% more revenue required than in 2021 and a whopping 161% over 2019.
Getting to the top is costly
Source: Sensor Tower
All subcategories saw a rise in median monthly revenue required to reach the top spot between 2019 and 2022. But Fitness, Women’s Health and Diet & Nutrition apps are the only categories that also saw a rise in 2022 while meditation apps declined year-on-year.
And the most engaged users are…
Interestingly, Fitbit had the most engaged user base in the Fitness apps category. Smartwatches are easy to monitor and can be worn all day. This ease of use may explain why the app saw more engagement than traditional smartphone fitness apps.
Around 36% of Fitbit Google Play installs opened the app more than ten days per month. Garmin Connect ranked second for app opens at 31%, followed by Strava (27%) and Sweatcoin (8%).
Leading smartwatch apps for engagement
Source: Sensor Tower
Key takeaways
- Europeans spent around $300 million on health apps in 2022, up 5% from 2021
- Fitness apps now need 161% more in revenue to rank at the top in app stores ($4.2 million)
- Smartwatch app Fitbit has the most engaged users
The post Fitness apps now need $4 million in revenues to rank top in app stores appeared first on Business of Apps.
source https://www.businessofapps.com/news/fitness-apps-now-need-4-million-in-revenues-to-rank-top-in-app-stores/
