Adults in the United States are focused on prioritizing their health and well-being in 2023. Around 57% of adults shared that the most important factors they are focusing on this year are physical health and nutrition. People also reported that their priorities this year revolved less around weight management and more about how they feel internally.  

With a dominant number of consumers wanting to focus on their health, mobile health apps have the opportunity to help users find the resources and cultivate the habits they are seeking. Find out how apps are changing consumers' lives and the emerging tech trends that will drive a higher number of returning users

Technology Meets Healthcare 

Apps are a convenient tool for daily consumers to reach their goals. Whether this has to do with organization, fitness or just health in general, apps are leveraging the newest technologies in order to make life easier for their users. Apps have transformed in the last few years to be a one-stop-shop for consumer education, health and wellbeing. 

Mobile health (mHealth) apps are healthcare apps that are available on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. This type of mobile health technology is especially popular among patients who wish to see a digital overview of their health stats, future appointments, prescriptions, and billing. 

These apps not only enhance the user's healthcare experience, but also aid healthcare provider’s decision-making by looking at real time patient data. mHealth apps are also popular when it comes to health education for the general public or those practicing medicine. 

Mhealth app growth

Total global mHealth market forecast from 2016 to 2025 Source: Statista

 

Winning the Mobile Health Market 

Despite the many benefits of mobile health apps, most of these apps have less than 10,000 downloads. Additionally, many hospitals report that they are able to engage only 2% of their patients on healthcare apps. Mobile health apps that wish to succeed in this competitive digital landscape should take a look at what users really want in a health app. 

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

Even with consumers working harder than ever to save their money, 44% of consumers shared that the top area that they would never cut down on spending is on their health and well-being. This shows that adults want to prioritize spending time and money on their health above other areas in life. Consumers of mHealth apps are looking for a personalized experience with health apps. 

Personalization is always an important factor when it comes to user retention, but when it comes to mHealth apps, it is a requirement. When it comes to wellness, consumers want acknowledgment that each body is different. Many mHealth apps have access to unique data such as family history, blood tests and other personal information. However, mHealth app marketers need to be careful with how they present that information in an ad. 

Avoiding mentioning specific medical ailments or diseases while still being personal is a fine line. mHealth app marketers should leverage other factors such as age, activity level, lifestyle and other personal aspects of users in order to create a relationship. Using innovative technology to segment users into specific groups will help mobile health apps create loyalty amongst their users.  For example, friendly reminders to young women about exams that will increase their overall female health is an important and efficient way of bringing users back to the app. 

Convenience 

Roughly 75% of hospital visits are basic and can be handled over the phone or video call. There’s nothing worse than driving all the way to a doctor’s office while feeling under the weather, just to be seen for a five minute exam. The convenience of mHealth apps is one of the driving factors of consumer downloads. 

Consumers look to mHealth apps to provide basic functionalities including the ability to schedule or cancel appointments, request prescriptions and access to medical records. However, only 11% of the hospital apps offer these functionalities. mHealth apps should take a “convenience first” approach to their medical apps. Making sure that users can complete these basic requests will increase retention and make mHealth apps the go-to when it comes to finding medical information. 

Letting consumers know that they can complete basic tasks within one platform will drive user engagement. Since a small number of mHealth apps are offering these features, app marketers can stand out against the competition by highlighting these functionalities. By making sure consumers have a convenient “one-stop-shop” for all their health needs, app marketers will draw in high value and loyal users. 

Education

With the internet comes a wealth of information that virtually everyone has access to. Whether this information is medically accurate is a different story. Many consumers who have something ailing them will turn to the web for answers. mHealth apps can provide medically backed information to their users and help educate their community to ensure their health and wellbeing. 

mHealth apps not only can help the general public access medical knowledge to ease their anxieties, they can also help medical students test their skills. Numerous mobile health apps are adding health quizzes and tests to their content offerings for those interested in the field. Educating students at any age using smartphones and tablets is an easy way to access a wide range of learners. 

It’s incredibly important that everyone has access to healthcare knowledge and with mHealth apps, that knowledge is at a user’s fingertips. Creating messaging around gamification within the app such as quizzes will entice users to jump back into the app. Making sure that there is educational content that pertains to any age will help increase audience size and engagement. 

Takeaways of Mobile Health Apps

Over half of adults in the United States are focused on their physical health and nutrition this year. With more and more people focusing on their wellbeing, mobile health apps have the opportunity to step in and give their users what they are searching for. 

We break down how mHealth apps are changing consumers' lives and the emerging trends that will drive a higher number of returning users to these apps. 

  • One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Consumers of mHealth apps are not looking for a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to these apps. mHealth app marketers should leverage non-sensitive personal factors such as age, activity level, lifestyle and other aspects of users in order to create a loyal relationship.
  • Convenience: Making sure that users can complete basic requests will increase retention and make mHealth apps the go-to when it comes to finding medical information. Letting consumers know they can complete basic tasks within one platform will drive user engagement.
  • Education: mHealth apps not only can help the general public access medical knowledge that will ease their anxieties, but also medical students practicing their skills. Creating messaging around gamification within the app such as quizzes will entice users to re-engage with the app!