Keep, Gudong, and Yuepaoquan competitive product analysis report

Online sports are not like sports news portals or online live broadcasts of sports content, but a new sports concept that combines online and offline. The author of this article selected three online sports products, Keep, Gudong and Yuepaoquan , for comparison, focusing on analyzing the advantages and disadvantages and operational development of these three products, sorting out the operational ideas, and sharing them with everyone.

1. Purpose of Competitive Product Analysis

Through the analysis of the online sports industry and online sports products:

• Understand the development history, current situation and future trends of the online sports industry
• Verify product hypothesis
• Discover product opportunities
• Learn about the top products in the industry

2. Online Sports Industry Analysis

2.1 Industry Background Analysis

2.1.1 Development History

(1) Development history of China’s sports and fitness industry

Looking at the development history, under the influence of the formation of mass sports and fitness habits, the promotion of large-scale international events and the encouragement of national policies, the development of China's sports and health industry has always maintained a steady pace and the overall structure is stable. In recent years, with the rise of Internet technology, the sports and fitness industry has entered the "Internet +" era, and the application of technology has boosted the upgrading of the industry. (Data source: iResearch)

(2) Development history of China’s online sports and fitness industry

So far, the development of China's online sports and fitness industry has gone through three stages: exploration, explosion and growth. In 2010, online sports apps had just appeared in China, with a small number of applications and huge market potential. From 2013 to 2016, due to the popularity of smart phones and the development of mobile Internet, China's online sports apps emerged in large numbers, competition was fierce, the user scale increased rapidly, and a large amount of capital poured in. After 2016, the growth rate of online sports apps in China slowed down, the market became saturated, and leading companies began to make profits. (Data source: Zhiyan Consulting)

(3) Summary

It can be seen from the development history of China's sports and fitness industry that "Internet + Sports" has become the trend of the times. Moreover, the development of the online sports and fitness industry has reached a mature stage, demand has become saturated, leading companies have begun to make profits, and a market competition pattern has taken shape. If you want to find new opportunities in the online sports and fitness industry, you can only abandon the old model and explore new models.

2.1.2 Industry PEST Model Analysis

(1) Policy

Policies promote the deep integration of the Internet and the sports industry.

Since 2018, the basic research and development of the intelligent industry, as a new driving force, and the promotion of its application in traditional industries have been the top-level design at the national level. This includes the integration of smart technology and the sports industry, and the policy orientation of sports and fitness is more reflected in the industry's smart technological innovation, the intelligence of sports scenes and facilities, and the promotion of smart sports concepts. (Data source: iResearch)

(2) Economy

According to statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics, my country's economy grew by 2.3% year-on-year in real terms in 2020, with GDP exceeding 100 trillion yuan for the first time, and per capita GDP approaching 72,500 yuan. In 2020, China's per capita disposable income was nearly 32,200 yuan. With the continuous increase in GDP and per capita disposable income of residents, the improvement of people's consumption capacity and willingness, people's consumption demand for health and fitness will also increase further.

(3) Society

With the development of communication and network technology, on the one hand, Internet sports products and services are quickly accepted by the market, and the number of users is increasing year by year, which drives the rapid development of the Internet sports and fitness industry; on the other hand, the Internet also promotes the spread of sports and fitness culture.

Contemporary health issues are prominent, and sub-health and obesity problems are serious. In 2019, the size of obese people in China exceeded 250 million. The growth of the obese population and the health problems caused by obesity have gradually become the focus of social attention. Seven out of ten netizens interviewed believe that body management is related to health, and the public's awareness of individual weight health has increased. (Data source: iResearch)

According to data from China Economic Information Network, "physical exercise and sports health" ranked second among the health knowledge that Chinese residents paid most attention to in 2019.

At the same time, affected by the 2020 epidemic, residents' health awareness has been further enhanced; restrictions on residents' outdoor sports and offline gym exercises have indirectly promoted the activity of online sports apps. As can be seen from the figure below, during the epidemic, the MUA of online sports and fitness apps increased significantly compared with the same period.

(4) Technology

With the development of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and 5G communications, human life is becoming more and more intelligent, which not only changes people's behavior patterns, but also changes people's lifestyles.

With the development of artificial intelligence and 5G technology, smart sports products have become more personalized, the data is more accurate, and the sports scenarios are richer, helping consumers to keep an eye on body changes and achieve personal independent health management.

From the data of "Amount of Investment and Financing in China's Sports and Fitness Sector in 2018" from iResearch Consulting, it can be seen that "smart technology + sports and fitness" is more favored by the capital market, and the development of technology has provided more possibilities for the sports industry.

(5) Summary

Thanks to the support of policies, the increase in per capita disposable income of residents, the awakening of public awareness of sports and health, and the external environment support of the continuous upgrading and development of technology, there is still a lot of room for development for my country's sports and fitness industry, especially the mobile sports and fitness industry, and there is also great development potential in the future.

2.2 Market related analysis

2.2.1 Market size

According to the report data released by Zhiyan Consulting, the market size of China's online sports and fitness industry has increased year by year, with an increase of about 100 million yuan.

Under the influence of the epidemic, people have re-examined their own health conditions, their overall satisfaction with their health conditions has decreased, and their anxiety has increased. Those born in the 2000s and 1990s, who have the best health conditions, have the largest difference in overall health satisfaction scores before and after the epidemic, making them the group most anxious about their own health conditions at the moment. Relatively speaking, those born in the 2000s and 1990s have become the consumer army with a strong willingness to consume. In the future, the market size of China's online sports and health industry still has a lot of room for development. (Data source: iResearch)

2.2.2 User scale

According to Zhiyan Consulting data, the number of online sports and fitness users in my country has increased year by year. With the continuous stimulation of the external environment and the continuous improvement of the industry, the user scale in 2019 achieved exponential growth compared with 2014. However, after 2018, the growth rate slowed down, which also indicated that the online sports industry market was becoming saturated and entering a mature stage.

2.2.3 User Analysis

(1) Portrait of Chinese people who exercise and keep fit

Data from iResearch Consulting’s “2018 China Sports and Fitness User Portrait” report shows: Gender : The male-female ratio is basically the same, with males accounting for 49.7% and females accounting for 50.3%. Geographical distribution : users in first-tier cities account for 19.2%; users in second-tier cities account for 40.2%; users in third- and fourth-tier cities account for 40.6%. It can be seen that users in third- and fourth-tier cities cannot be ignored.

Zhiyan Consulting data shows that in terms of age , the majority of the population is under 30 years old, accounting for 57.25%; among them, people under 24 years old account for 29.37%, and people aged 24-30 account for 27.88%. In terms of occupations of people who engage in sports and fitness, the top three are corporate white-collar workers (43.7%), students (18.5%), and service industry workers (9.1%).

(2) Sports scene selection for Chinese sports and fitness people

From the perspective of sports scene selection among fitness people, outdoor public areas and gyms account for the largest proportion, accounting for 39.9% and 34.1% respectively. Among them, those who choose outdoor public areas for fitness are mainly people who love running, while those who choose gyms are mainly people who have higher requirements for equipment and coaching guidance. (Data source: Zhiyan Consulting)

(3) Sports and fitness behaviors of Chinese people

The results of iResearch Consulting’s survey show that in terms of the types of daily sports and fitness projects among domestic sports and fitness users, outdoor jogging is currently the most popular type of project among domestic sports and fitness people. 78% of users said that they jog on a daily basis, which is a popular sport type.

Regarding the use of sports apps, the survey results show that domestic sports and fitness users mainly use sports apps during running and fitness. The three most commonly used scenarios for using sports apps are outdoor jogging, hiking/hiking, and home fitness.

It can be seen that outdoor jogging is still the most popular among users.

(4) Reasons why Chinese people exercise and keep fit

The internal reasons for people who exercise and keep fit to stick with exercise are mainly to maintain health, improve physical fitness and relieve stress; the external reasons for sticking with exercise are mainly to improve appearance and lose weight. (Data source: iResearch)

According to the iResearch Consulting report, in 2020, the most concerned sports indicator is the calories consumed, and the most concerned health indicators are body indicators such as weight, body fat percentage, and body shape. It can be seen that a good figure is what people demand.

Therefore, the main reason for people who exercise is to have a good body and a good figure . Their deeper needs are still the need for security, belonging, love, and respect.

(5) Overview of sports APP usage by Chinese sports and fitness users

In 2018, iResearch Consulting Group survey data showed that in terms of the frequency of APP use, more than 70% of users said they would frequently or always use sports APPs. Sports and fitness APPs have a high stickiness among domestic sports and fitness people, attracting users to visit and use them at a higher frequency.

In terms of the usage time of sports apps, more than half of domestic sports users use sports apps for 1-7 hours per week. It can be seen that the average daily usage time of domestic sports users is less than one hour.

(6) The main purpose of Chinese sports and fitness users using sports apps

In terms of the purpose of using sports apps, domestic users mainly use apps to record or view sports data , accounting for 50.9%. In addition, the daily exercise check-in sharing function is also popular among domestic users, accounting for 46%. The user group prefers to see personalized sports data reports for themselves, and is also willing to share their different exercise methods, exercise experiences and exercise results. (Data source: iResearch)

(7) Online sports social networking among Chinese sports and fitness users

Only 33.7% of users regularly engage in social activities during sports. For people who do sports and fitness, social activities are becoming an increasingly important part of their sports life. Sports and health community products provide users with a platform for communication with each other; among them, forwarding, interacting and chatting, and browsing learning content are users' favorite online social methods. (Data source: iResearch)

2.3 Summary

Through the analysis of the background and market of the online sports industry, we can summarize the following five points:

• China's online sports industry has entered a mature stage with fierce competition and leading companies have emerged. Recently, the growth rate of users and application products has slowed down, and the market has become saturated. However, for the sports and fitness industry, the external environment has provided great incentives and stimulation, and there is still relatively large room for development. Therefore, at present, if you want to get a share of the online sports industry, you need to explore new models and look for development opportunities in the incremental market.
• In the post-epidemic era, the younger generation's satisfaction with their own health has declined, indicating that the market size of the sports and health industry still has relatively large room for development.
• Young people are the main force among the sports and fitness population, among which students account for a relatively large proportion. The power of the sinking market cannot be ignored.
• Most people like outdoor sports scenes, and outdoor jogging is the most popular among users.
• More than 70% of users frequently use sports apps when exercising and keeping fit. The main purpose of using sports apps is to record or view exercise data and share daily exercise check-ins. In addition, online sports social networking is becoming an increasingly important part of sports life.

3. Choose Competitive Products

3.1 Finding Competitors

In order to better select the top-ranked applications from the numerous sports and fitness mobile apps, we referred to the iResearch Index's fitness and sports app rankings in January 2021, and selected the top five apps based on the number of monthly independent devices. We believe that they are the most recognized sports and fitness (running and fitness) mobile apps among online users:

3.2 Identify competing products

The idea of ​​identifying competitive products in this article is, on the one hand, to understand the top-ranked products in China's online sports industry, and on the other hand, to understand the application products that perform relatively well in online running. Therefore, the three competitive applications selected for comparison are keep, Gudong and Yuepaoquan .

Judging from Keep’s recent downloads and revenue, it has now become the top product in China’s online sports and health industry.

In terms of downloads, Gudong is far behind Xiaomi Sport, but in January 2021, the month-on-month increase in the number of independent devices of Gudong was 1.6%, while that of Xiaomi Sport was -0.8%; at the same time, in terms of revenue, Gudong is greater than that of Xiaomi Sport. As a product that has been around for ten years, Gudong must have its advantages.

"Yuepaoquan - a circle for runners" has been deeply engaged in the vertical field of running. Recently, downloads and revenues have been relatively impressive in the industry. (Data source: iResearch, Qimai)

4. Competitive Product Analysis

4.1 Positioning Analysis

Keep is a sports social APP with various sports types. Its rich sports training courses can be practiced anytime and anywhere using fragmented time, which is suitable for the sports needs of most people in today's society. The sports course content for different training stages lowers the entry threshold; and compared with offline gyms, it is more cost-effective, allowing more people to love sports and fitness.

As can be seen from the slogan, Gudong is currently creating an intelligent sports scene. Through professional and intelligent sports equipment, users can understand their personal exercise status and physical condition during exercise, helping users to exercise more scientifically and healthily. At the same time, we are committed to building Gudong into a sports community platform.

Since its launch, Yuepaoquan has been deeply engaged in the sport of running, providing running enthusiasts with more running methods and communication platforms, making every run an enjoyable experience.

4.2 User Analysis

4.2.1 Gender distribution

From the analysis of user gender, Gudong and Yuepaoquan have more male users than female users, while the male-to-female ratio of Keep is 4.64:5.36, with female users slightly more than male users.

Keep has slightly more female users than male users, probably because many of the sports courses launched by Keep cater to the needs of many women - weight loss, body shaping, and they can combine exercises with the courses on Keep in a small space, changing the restrictions of space on sports and fitness.

Gudong has more male users than female users. This may be because Gudong mainly promotes outdoor running and cycling. Relatively speaking, the proportion of males among people who love outdoor running and cycling is higher.

The ratio of male to female users of Yuepaoquan is close to 7:3. Among the three applications, male users account for the largest proportion. Running is a type of sport that requires a relatively high amount of physical activity. Relatively speaking, men prefer sports that require a relatively high amount of physical activity. (Data source: iMedia Polaris)

4.2.2 Age distribution

In terms of age distribution, the users of these three products are mainly under 30 years old, and users aged 30 and below account for more than 70% of the total users. This also confirms the above survey results - "people under 30 are the main group of people engaged in sports and fitness in China." It is worth noting that the three products have the smallest proportion among people in the age group of "36-40 years old".

keep is very popular among young people. For keep users, those aged 30 and below account for more than 90%, of which those under 24 years old account for 53.81%. People under 30 years old pay more attention to their body shape. Keep does a relatively good job in fitness and body shaping, with high-quality and complete content, which just caters to the needs of young user groups. Keep - a one-stop solution to all your sports needs - has a rich variety of sports, which satisfies the curiosity of young people.

As the earliest online running sports product in China, Gudong has a history of ten years. The young people it attracted when it first went online may have grown older now. Therefore, compared with Keep and Yuedongquan, there are a lot more people over 30 years old.

Yuepaoquan is a mobile application mainly focusing on running. The age group with the largest number of users is 25-30 years old, accounting for 41.8%. Most of the users aged 25-30 are office workers who sit for long periods of time and suffer from high work and life pressures, and need exercise to relieve them. Due to the outdoor sports environment and relatively low-cost exercise method, running has become the first choice for most users. (Data source: iMedia Polaris)

4.2.3 Geographical distribution

From the perspective of the geographical distribution of users, the three applications are basically the same, with super first-tier cities and first-tier cities accounting for more than half of the population. First, the residents in these cities have higher incomes, relatively higher requirements for quality of life, and a stronger awareness of sports and fitness. Second, they are under relatively greater pressure in life and work, and need running, especially outdoor running, to relieve psychological stress and physical fatigue; third, the infrastructure in big cities is more complete and the conditions for running are better. (Data source: Analysys Qianfan)

4.2.4 User needs

4.3 Product Iteration Analysis

4.3.1 Keep

As can be seen from the figure below, Keep has developed from an early fitness tool to a sports and health platform with functions such as sports, fitness, e-commerce, and social networking, which has solved most of the users' sports needs.

In the first two years after its launch, Keep mainly focused on improving a series of functions related to fitness training and adding some important functional modules (running, equipment, etc.). In 2016, a new selection of equipment was added to meet users' needs for sports equipment. After 2017, we can see that Keep has done a lot of work in sports social networking, such as "Popular", "Same City", "Friends Send Messages", "Health Encyclopedia", and "Circles", which have increased user communication and interaction within the platform and enriched users' sports life. Continuously refine training courses and optimize sports experience. It can be seen that keep is currently building a comprehensive sports and fitness closed loop to form its own sports and health ecosystem.

4.3.2 Gudong

In the early days of its launch, Gudong positioned itself as a running record tool, and later launched a series of sports types such as fitness, mountaineering, cycling, and skipping rope to meet the sports needs of different users.

Gudong started its social networking business relatively early, launching the “Find Friends” and “Sports Circle” functions in 2014. Later, modules such as events, smart equipment, sports knowledge, and consultation were also launched online to build it into a smart sports and fitness community.

4.3.3 Joy Run Circle

Yuepaoquan has always focused on developing in the field of running sports, from indoor and outdoor running to online marathon mode running, and then to running groups. Later, it added challenge, agreed running and speed track functions, enriching the content of running, making running more interesting and increasing user participation.

The activity module was launched in 2015, the shopping cart function was added in 2016, and the "topic" was upgraded to "community" in 2019. It can be seen that Yuepaoquan does not just position itself as a running tool, but also an online communication platform for running.

4.3.4 Summary

From the iterative evolution of the three products, we can see that the products in the entire online sports industry have gone through a development process from having only simple basic sports functions, to continuous improvement and increase of product functions, and then to continuous optimization of functions and exploration of new models.

The iteration of the three products conforms to the general development law of Internet products, the development path from tools to platforms or communities. The Internet has entered the second half, the demographic dividend period is gone, and user retention is the core. However, tools are products that are used and discarded, while communities or platforms can increase the length of time users stay. Each product is building its own content ecosystem and establishing its own competitive advantage.

4.4 Product Function Analysis

4.4.1 Product Functional Architecture

(1) Keep framework diagram

In the product information architecture, it is composed of [Home], [Plan], [Campaign], [Mall], and [Me].

From the entire functional architecture of keep, it can be seen that its core is still on fitness. First, it attaches importance to the construction of training course content. The classification of courses in all courses is very detailed, and the waterfall flow on the homepage also has exclusive classification of courses; second, fitness requires high self-discipline, and Keep has made a separate module for the plan to serve fitness; third, there are diet tools and classified recipe functions. As the saying goes, 30% of fitness depends on exercise and 70% on diet.

In terms of sports types, keep basically covers running, fitness, cycling, walking, yoga and other sports, which is in line with its official website's positioning of "a one-stop solution to all your sports needs."

While the content and experience in sports and fitness are relatively complete, Keep is more concerned with the product's user retention and monetization capabilities.

Retain users through live classes and communities. Live classes are placed on the homepage together with sports types to facilitate user access. In the community module, there are topics, knowledge, locals, and dynamics. At the same time, the circle function that was just launched this year has brought users closer together.

Realize C-end monetization through membership and mall. Members are placed on the homepage alongside recommendations, and the mall is operated as an independent module. It can be seen that the company attaches great importance to product monetization.

(2) Gudong framework diagram

Gudong's functional information architecture mainly consists of five modules: [Sports Circle], [Discover], [Sports], [Goods], and [My].

Like keep, Gudong also has a wide range of sports types, but Gudong pays more attention to the setting of running functions, including smart running, running activity challenges, online and offline marathons, running coaches, etc.

The sports circle module contains multiple classification labels, covering training records, training methods, sports equipment, daily life, etc. It is mainly presented in the form of pictures and short videos, reflecting Gudong’s emphasis on social functions. Attract users through content updates, useful articles, event information, etc., promote the construction of the social network, and form your own network effect.

The label classification of the sports circle is mainly classified according to the display form, sports type, etc. The classification logic is slightly confusing, which is not conducive to the quick search of information. At the same time, Gudong's users are mainly under 30 years old, from first-tier cities and male, and most of these users pursue efficiency more. Therefore, there is still room for optimization in content classification and distribution.

Gudong focuses on smart sports, making users' sports intelligent and digital. This positioning combines well with the Gudong Good Goods module to drive the development of its e-commerce.

(3) Joy Run Circle Framework

Yuepaoquan also has five modules, namely [Home], [Community], [Run], [Square] and [Me]. It can be seen that Yuepaoquan only does running exercises. Although a "real coach" has been added to the homepage, it may just be used to promote and test the company's new product "Ji Ran". Currently, the content and function construction are not perfect enough.

It is difficult to establish your own advantage by relying solely on a running function. Therefore, it has added functions such as online marathons, scheduled runs, running groups, and speed tracks to increase the fun of running and make running more fun, so as to establish its own competitive advantage.

In the community module, there are topics, dynamics, nearby, friends, messages, etc.; in the square module, there are activities, events, columns, Yuehuo, etc.; it can be seen that Yuepaoquan is also building its own running content community, allowing running enthusiasts to not only run in Yuepaoquan but also find emotional resonance.

(4) Summary

There is an obvious trend in the functional architecture of the three products - creating their own sports community and building their own sports content ecosystem.

After years of development, Keep and Gudong have roughly the same functions, but due to their different positioning, Keep takes the professional, scientific and healthy fitness training route, while Gudong pursues more intelligent sports that rely on smart equipment; Yuepaoquan is positioned in the running field, and naturally cannot be compared with Keep and Gudong in terms of functional volume, and is also relatively weak in C-end monetization. But relying on its advantages in the field of running, it is deeply loved by running enthusiasts. The content of Yuepaoquan and Gudong’s events is more diverse.

4.4.2 Running Function Analysis

(1) Functional Information Architecture

keep:

Gudong:

Joyful running circle:

Summary and analysis:

The running modules of the three products are basically similar in functional design, with only minor functional changes. Before running, there are functions of adding music, running settings, setting goals, warming up, and selecting running scenes; during running, there are functions of music/running settings, lock screen, map mode, mileage/pace/time/consumption; after running, there are also functions of sharing, posting updates, selecting map mode, and stretching.

The difference is. First, Yuepaoquan itself focuses on running, and its running interface does not have as many functions as keep and Gudong, with only the core task of "running"; second, since keep focuses on course content, some running-related guidance courses are also recommended on the running interface; third, Gudong focuses on smart sports and sports social networking, so the function of adding smart equipment, as well as events and selected dynamic functions are added to the running interface.

Different from Keep and Gudong, which provide one-stop services for sports needs, Yuepaoquan has done more exploration in running functions and opened up many new running methods, such as agreed running and speed running track.

(2) Functional task flow chart

Keep:

Gudong:

Joyful running circle:

Summary and analysis:

The task flow designs of the three products are all based on running time periods. The entire running process is very simple and smooth. In the main process, you can directly click to start running. When you want to end, just long press to end. After finishing, click Done. The data will be automatically saved, which will not cause cognitive troubles to the user.

Users use APP to assist exercise in order to get a better running experience. If they only follow the simple design of the main process, users can complete the running task without the assistance of APP. Therefore, in addition to the main process, the three products also designed many sub-processes to maximize the running experience. It can be seen that keep, Gudong, and Yuepaoquan all have sub-processes: warm-up before running, adding music, setting goals, etc.; you can pause and rest during running; share running records after running, stretching training, etc. A series of sub-process designs allow users to experience a complete closed loop during the running process, thereby improving user satisfaction.

In terms of product positioning, keep still focuses on fitness and course training, so there are no particularly eye-catching features in the entire running process, but in the warm-up session, keep provides different warm-up course training for users to choose from, so there is an operation to select courses in the main warm-up process; Gudong focuses on smart sports, and there is an operation to add smart equipment and running shoes before running; Yuepaoquan specializes in running, and compared with keep and Gudong, it has more forms of running modes, so there will be an option to continue the last challenge before running.

Keep and Gudong currently want to establish themselves as sports and fitness platforms and communities, so they have done a lot of heavy design in content production. Keep has the function of sharing and posting updates during warm-up, at the end of running, and at stretching; Gudong also has the function of sharing and posting updates after the end of running and stretching; while Yuepaoquan only has a sharing record function at the end of running.

Among the three, Yuepaoquan’s running process is the most concise while also providing the best experience. Compared with Keep and Gudong, users have less time to make choices and think, and can focus solely on the running task. Compared with Keep and Yuepaoquan, Gudong has too many options before running, but it has a "running coach" function that is different from the other two. Of course, this function is also designed based on smart sports.

In my opinion, Keep's pre-run warm-up process design is questionable. After warming up, users are asked "Do you want to check in to keep dynamics?" If they choose not to check in, they may go to the recommendation page on the homepage; if they choose to check in, they may go to the dynamic interface of the community. Because the "Start Running" button in the interface for both clocking in and not clocking in is not designed to be obvious, this may be intentional, but it goes against the user experience. After warming up, the next step is to start running. If an erroneous operation occurs, do you intend to blame the user?

4.4.3 Analysis of other functions

(1) Scheduled running function (Joy Run Circle)

The entire process of the agreed run is designed to be simple and smooth. It is to join or create a running class, complete the agreement within the agreed time, graduate after completing the agreement, and wait for the system to return the agreed money and bonus.

The design of the scheduled running module of Yuepaoquan is set in the form of "running classes". There are two types of running classes, one is created by the Yuepaoquan official, and the other is created by individual users. Therefore, when the user enters the agreed running module, he can choose to join a running class or create his own running class and become the class teacher. However, after joining or creating a running class, you cannot join or create another running class within the agreed period of the running class, unless you complete the agreement and graduate early. Such a setting can improve the fulfillment rate of the entire agreed run.

Users can choose the running class they want to join and pay the corresponding amount to successfully join. Users need to complete the number of runs and mileage set in the running class within the agreed period. Only after the agreed period ends will the system return the agreed amount paid by the user. If the user fails to fulfill the contract, the system will refund the amount according to the completion rate.

To create your own running class, you need to set the basic information of the class, number of people, mileage, agreed period and amount, etc. If there are less than two people in a running class at the start of the appointment, the running class will be disbanded.

Scheduled running has improved users' motivation to run to a certain extent. Since the running class requires at least two runs, it also indirectly increases the frequency of users' use. Since its launch in 2017, Yuyuepao is still used by a large number of users, proving that it is valuable to users.

(2) Speed ​​Run Function (Happy Running Circle)

The speed track module of Yuepaoquan is a running activity based on a gamified virtual track. Each activity in it has activity theme, time, rules, prizes, etc. The entire activity process and visuals are designed to imitate the idea of ​​games. Each activity will have several tracks of different mileages, which are equivalent to different levels in the game. Each track will be scored according to the time taken to complete it.

This form of activity brings runners a brand new running experience and makes running more interesting. But it is worth thinking about whether this kind of gameplay must be presented in the form of an activity challenge?

From the button design on the interface, it can be seen that this module has a strong competitive flavor. You can go running by clicking the "Start Challenge" button. During the run, there is only an end button but no pause button. If you stop running halfway, the result will not be recorded. The mileage of this virtual track is ten, twenty, or thirty kilometers, which shows that the speed track not only tests time but also physical strength and endurance. This kind of long-distance running is not something that everyone can do, only a small number of users, which reduces the user participation rate of the activity. Although the name is "Speed ​​Track", speed can only be applied to short-distance running.

This setting makes the meaning of the event become one that focuses on results and neglects the process, so are gamification and virtual tracks not so important? If this module is positioned as a more interesting, relaxing, and gamified way of running, without having to worry about time, mileage, consumption and other data, this can also distance itself from the basic running functions.

The Speed ​​Track module was launched in June last year. Its original positioning was to define a new way of running and take you around the world. From the very beginning, it can be seen that it is a way of playing on a virtual track; "taking you to run around the world" reflects the psychological experience of the runner, and does not depend on whether the reality is the scene in the virtual track. The current model pays too much attention to results and utilitarianism. Maybe the designers are still exploring, but the idea of ​​this virtual track is commendable.

4.5 Business Strategy Analysis

From the above picture, we can see that Gudong has the most monetization methods, while Yuepaoquan has relatively the least monetization methods. This may be because Gudong developed early and has done a lot of exploration in commercial monetization, while Yuepaoquan has not found many breakthroughs in monetization due to its single sports type.

The sale of sports products and advertising revenue are the largest monetization methods for sports and fitness apps; followed by the monetization of training courses and memberships. It can be seen that keep, Gudong, and Yuepaoquan have all launched membership services for integrated rights and interests sales; at the same time, event activities and derivatives have also become important monetization methods.

For Internet products, monetization is extremely important. Only when the product is commercialized can it provide better and continuous services to users. However, we cannot simply consider commercial monetization and sacrifice user experience. For example, advertising revenue accounts for the majority of the monetization methods of Keep, Gudong, and Yuepaoquan. At this time, they should use the user movement data they control to implement precise advertising delivery. On the one hand, this can increase advertising revenue, and on the other hand, it will not disgust users.

5. Summary: Inspiration for my product development

The following is expressed in the form of questions and answers (because some inspirations are questions, and I haven’t figured it out):

• Q1: Since the growth rate of smartphones has begun to decline, it means that the demographic dividend of mobile Internet has come to an end. Is there still a possibility of success if you want to make an APP product in the future?
• A1: My answer is "yes". This requires applying Professor Yu Jun’s theory that “users are a collection of needs”. View users as a collection. Even if the demographic dividend is gone, as long as you can meet a certain need of users in a certain scenario, you will be able to acquire users. For example, Taobao, JD.com, and Vipshop, there must be overlapping natural persons among their users, and everyone is living well.

• Q2: Based on your analysis of the online sports industry, do you still plan to make sports products?
• A2: Yes. With policy support, people paying more and more attention to sports and health, technological development providing more possibilities for exercise methods, and the expansion of the market size, the empowerment of the external environment will promote the future development space of the online sports and fitness industry. Through analysis of the industry, I also decided to make "running" sports products, and the target users are people aged 30 and below. Because this group of people accounts for the largest proportion.

• Q3: “Running” products or functions are already very well developed in the industry and tend to be seriously homogenized. How do you compete with large-scale products?
• A3: There is no possibility of winning in the existing market and large-scale products. It is destined to be a dead game. Only by looking for opportunities in the incremental market can you fight with it. Let’s borrow Teacher Yu Jun’s value formula to look at “user value = new experience - old experience - replacement cost”. Only by finding a product direction with “old experience” of 0 can there be no replacement cost, so that the user value is relatively large and the product can survive.

• Q4: After analyzing keep, Gudong and Yuepao Circles, have you found the direction to make "running" products?
• A4: After understanding the leading products in the field of online sports and fitness, the three have been very perfect in terms of running functions, but I found that they all have one thing in common, which is professional and intelligent exercise methods. I was wondering if I could break the professionalism - professional data, professional equipment, professional sports guidance, and exercise in a more relaxed way. For running, in an era when technology is not combined with sports, do people stop running? In comparison, the current movement has given people greater constraints - data constraints, equipment constraints, food supply constraints, etc.

• Q5: So, what is your specific direction?
• A5: There is no specific direction, I can only say that I have a general idea. After analyzing keep, Gudong, and Yuepaoquan, they found that their ideas for sports and fitness products include "social + exercise, intelligence + exercise, gamification + running", etc., so my product ideas are "?+ exercise", this "?" can be everything you can think of. To narrow the scope of "?", you can only find from the users I want to serve. At the same time, this "?" is the point that the colleagues missed.

• Q6: You are too big, can’t you be more specific?
• A6: OK. . . Take "social + sports" as an example. Do we lack social products? There is no shortage. There are a lot of social interactions among acquaintances and strangers. They may be able to solve the feeling of loneliness, but they cannot solve the sense of belonging. "Social + Sports" is to gather people who like sports together, and everyone finds their own small groups and small circles. This is what some sports and fitness products promote "let exercise or running not be lonely", but is loneliness and belonging the same thing? If not, it is a new product opportunity.

• Q7: For sports and fitness products, can they really only develop in the direction of the community or the platform?
• A7: I really don’t know this, but you can see that keep and Gudong are both trending. Whether the community or platform is a development path or a return path, let it be proved by time.

The first time I wrote industry and competitor analysis, just to get into the industry and find a product job. Due to limitations in ability and vision, there must be many shortcomings. I hope the big guys can point them out generously.

Author: Wen Qingquan

Source: Wen Qingquan