Health & Fitness Seasonality Trends for App Marketing

One of the verticals that saw the most astronomical growth during COVID-19 and through subsequent lockdowns around the world was the Health & Fitness industry, but competition is fierce! At App Growth Network, we have worked on multiple apps in this category and helped them grow and dominate their niche. In this blog, we have partnered with AppTweak – an AGN favorite ASO tool – to gain more insight into seasonality trends in the Health & Fitness category.

This blog was written as part of a collaboration between AppTweak and App Growth Network.

For a more in-depth look at the current state of the Health & Fitness app category and detailed lifecycle marketing strategies, download AGN’s latest ebook “How to Make a Health and Fitness App Successful.”

Download & revenue trends in the Health & Fitness category

Health and fitness apps traditionally see downloads increase around Christmas and the start of the New Year. For instance, people are often gifted wearables, such as smartwatches, the use of which is maximized after downloading apps, hence the surge around the holiday season. At the beginning of the year, marketing for Health & Fitness apps focuses on healthy New Year’s resolutions.

During this second year of COVID-19, the category saw another surge in downloads in spring. Downloads then reached a low at the end of the summer.

Download estimates for the Health & Fitness category (US App Store), October 2020 – October 2021. Source: AppTweak.

When looking at app revenue estimates, we don’t see the same peak around the New Year as with download estimates; this suggests that users don’t typically download subscription apps at this time. Instead, revenues start growing steadily around spring before leveling off at the end of summer.

Revenue estimates for the Health & Fitness category (US App Store), October 2020 – October 2021. Source: AppTweak.

Conversion rate trends in the Health & Fitness category

To further understand user behaviors in the Health and Fitness category, we’ll be taking a look at conversion rate metrics (for the purpose of this blog, we’re only looking at iOS data):

• Tap-through rate (TTR), or impression to page view ratio
• Conversion rate (CVR), or page views to download ratio
• Impression to download ratio (IDR)

Average conversion rates for the Health & Fitness category (US App Store). Source: AppTweak.

We analyzed conversion rate data, looking at the US App Store from October 2020 to October 2021, and found the following insights:

• The tap-through rate and impression-to-download ratio increased steadily throughout 2021. This means that users became less likely to scroll casually through search results, instead preferring to tap to view or download apps. This suggests that health and fitness apps gained more and more brand awareness throughout 2021; as a result, users know better which app they are looking for and are less likely to scroll through search results.
• The tap-through rate increased faster than the impressions-to-download ratio. This is an interesting observation that indicates users in the Health and Fitness category are more likely to tap through to an app page to learn more rather than immediately download the app. This particularly highlights the importance of investing in ASO to optimize your app page and convince store visitors to download your app.
• On average, apps in the Health and Fitness category report a conversion rate of 58%, one of the highest average app conversion rates out of all App Store categories. This supports our earlier finding that apps in this category can rely on strong brand awareness and effectively convince store visitors to download their apps. We also saw that Health & Fitness app conversion rates peaked in April/May 2021: This could be due to the accelerated rollout of COVID-19 vaccines around this time, and/or the warmer weather encouraging more people to spend time outside/focusing on their health and wellbeing.

Is your app’s conversion rate above or below its category average? Read this blog to compare conversion rates across categories on the App Store and Google Play.

How to take advantage of Health & Fitness app seasonality for marketing

1. Make use of the January surge

While paid UA can be more expensive during this period as apps try to outspend each other to get the best retaining users, make sure you have a strong store presence so new users can discover you. Focused messages with stand-out creatives that target specific personas are key to making an impact and ensuring your ad investment pays off.

Learn all about seasonality and how to prepare your app for the holidays!

2. Identify traffic peak points for your app

Analyze your data regularly and take advantage of your own app’s seasonality trends. For example, if you have a cycling tracker app, the most traffic you’ll get is likely to be seen in early- to mid-summer, based on external conditions and typical lifestyles.

3. Optimize your store presence

Make sure you have a solid ASO strategy in place and regularly analyze and optimize your keywords. It’s also a good idea to take advantage of new iOS 15 app page optimization features, like using in-app events in your organic user acquisition efforts to capture quality users.

Final Thoughts

The Health and Fitness app category is a growing space that is here to stay. There’s no question that COVID has had a huge impact and created more-than-usual volatility. But as things normalize, the data supports that people are still turning to apps to meet their health and wellness goals. As we head into the holiday season with the new year just around the corner, there are plenty of opportunities to make your already-established or newbie app shine.

Discover how AppTweak can help boost your app downloads with actionable insights in a simple interface!