Selling To Online Dieters? You'd Better Pass This Test
National survey of 14,799 pinpoints trends as prime "Diet Season" passes.
Tampa, FL (PRWEB via PR Web Direct)
July 27, 2005 -- Analysts at Marketdata Enterprises (http://www.mkt-data-ent.com/studies.html), the market research
firm that operates BestDietForMe.com, a Free diet analysis website, have just
released the findings of their 2nd quarter Online Dieter Research Report. A
total of 14,799 dieters were surveyed online from April 1st to June 30th, and
data was compared with 1st quarter results. An analysis of how dieters responded
to the BestDietForMe.com survey yielded very interesting
trends.
Advertising agencies and PR firms with weight loss clients, diet
website operators, or any companies selling diet products or programs online,
must pass this test if they are to be effective in selling to online dieters. Do
you…
* Get to them within a week of their search for a weight loss
program?
* Provide one-to-one personal counseling? Nearly one-third want it.
Impersonal chat rooms and bulletin boards may not be enough.
* Know that
43%-69% of them need some form of psychological support?
* Make sure your
program costs less than $250?
* Accommodate the 40% of online dieters that
have special foods needs or allergies?
"As the prime diet season (January
1st to Memorial Day) matures, selling to online dieters is tougher. They are
less motivated by special offers and promotions, proven by the decline in that
metric from 5.3% to 3.6% from quarter 1 to quarter 2. Weight loss marketers'
offers and discounts must be more compelling to result in sign-ups and opt-ins.
Online dieters are still mainly in the do-it-yourself group, but their interest
in medical diet plans did rise as the season matured. These are the nuances
picked up by our quarterly survey and daily real-time participation," according
to John LaRosa, Research Director.
Marketdata, via BestDietForMe.com, has
created a real-time tracking tool that produces an online dieter profile—their
demographics, needs, and preferences related to nutrition, exercise, and
psychological roadblocks. As confused dieters search for the best diet program
for them via our online survey, they leave lots of information, which when
analyzed can reveal shifting preferences. "We know of no other research tool
like this, with such a huge real-time daily sample," according to John LaRosa,
Research Director.
Major Findings:
* Of 14,799 people completing the
BestDietForMe.com survey in the 2nd quarter of 2005, 93.2% were female.
*
4.8% are interested in weight loss surgery.
* 4.9% are interested in home
delivery of diet foods.
* 69.3% need a diet program that covers emotional
eating, 48.9% need one covering stimulus control, and 43.7% need one covering
social eating skills—indicating a great need for weight loss programs providing
psychological/lifestyle support.
* Starting weight: Fully 58% of online
dieters have a starting weight of 175 lbs. or more and 22.5% weigh 225 lbs. or
more.
* 63% have a reported budget of $250 or less to spend on a weight loss
program.
* 40% have "special food needs" such as food allergies or
sensitivities.
* The greatest share of 47% have used a weight loss center as
a dieting method in the past, followed closely by the 41% that joined a health
club. 38.4% skipped meals and 19.3% used a diet website.
"The online
weight loss consumer is a fickle customer whose needs constantly shift and are
rarely probed in depth. We now have a unique research tool to monitor large
numbers of dieters like this to find out what makes them tick, on an ongoing
basis and affordably," according to John LaRosa, Research Director.
About
The Quarterly Online Dieter Report
MetricsTracked:
* gender
* age (5
categories)
* BMI (body mass index (5 categories, 18.5-40+)
* Percent
opting in for special offers
* Percent leaving name and mailing address
*
Pregnant or nursing percentage
* Medical conditions, percent indicating at
least one (32 conditions)
* Their diet budget (under $250 to $3,000+)
*
Preferred weight loss program location
* Interest in weight loss surgery –
percent
* Interest in home delivery of diet food – percent
* Preferred
diet counseling format
* Type food plan desired
* Percent interested
only in diet plans with pre-planned daily menus
* Special food needs,
allergies, food sensitivities – percent with
* Readiness to begin a diet
program
* Previous types of diet plans used (18 types)
* Exercise
preferences
* Psychological support needs: percent identified by
BestDietForMe.com analysis as needing… emotional eating support, stimulus
control, social eating skills support
Also Included…
*
Discussion/analysis of the online dieting market: nature, market size.
* List
of the top diet websites.
* Latest Alexa traffic rankings of the top diet
websites.
* Forecasts and early identification of key trends.
* Latest
results of surveys of online dieters by diet companies and others.
* Overview
(32 pp.) of the 9 segments of the weight loss market, with $ size and 2008
forecasts and status reports for: commercial programs, medical programs (MDs,
bariatric surgery, RDs, diet drugs, hospital programs, VLCDs), multi-level mktg.
plans, meal replacements & appetite suppressants, diet soft drinks,
artificial sweeteners, diet/low-carb foods market. Dieter demographics, trends
of past two years also analyzed.
The service costs $2,995 per year, or
individual quarterly reports (approx. 50 pages each) can be purchased for $895.
About BestDietForMe.com / Marketdata
www.BestDietForMe.com is
operated by Marketdata Enterprises, Inc., an independent analyst of the U.S.
weight loss industry since 1989. A database of 61 of the most legitimate and
popular diets is automatically and objectively searched after the consumer fills
out an in-depth 7-8 minute survey online. Consumers can also get detailed diet
program descriptions, and have access to special offers by weight loss
providers—all at NO cost. The website also contains lots of unique, free
content. Marketdata’s diet market research is regularly quoted by all major
media.
Contact Information
John LaRosa, Research
Director
BestDietForMe.com/Marketdata Enterprises Inc.
813-931-3900
www.BestDietForMe.com
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/7/prweb266176.htm