Competitive Product Analysis | How does Keep conduct operations and promotion?

Affected by the 2020 epidemic, the rapid development of the stay-at-home economy and the forced conversion of offline gym users have made online fitness a new trend, and the scale of active users in the sports and fitness APP industry has increased rapidly. As a representative fitness platform, how does KEEP operate?

01 Background and Purpose

Before starting this analysis, let’s first analyze the performance of APP this year. The figure below shows the total download data change curve of KEEP APP in the Android market in the past year (2019-12-25~2020-12-24).

Related data comes from KuChuan

Overall, the total downloads showed a phased growth. Among them, the total downloads increased by 35.59% compared with 2019-12-25. The following is an analysis of the sources of download growth based on the version iteration history.

02 KEEP Operation Analysis

The data segment selected for observation is from 2020.3.3 to 2020.5.3, with a time span of two months. Pay attention to this period

Big picture: The epidemic broke out in early 2020, and people were quarantined at home, which increased users’ demand for leisure and entertainment/the psychological need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Purpose: Through horizontal comparison between APPs, analyze the operation strategies of different APPs and further study the degree of satisfaction of user needs.

By observing the daily download curve, we can see that there were three small increases during this period (3-1, 4-1, 4-11) and one large increase (3-18). First, let’s focus on the single-day download growth event on March 18. From the data, we can see that the download volume increased by 100m, and it was mainly due to the increase in downloads in the Huawei market. Judging from the data alone, this growth is definitely problematic.

Can you please analyze the following? But be careful to avoid falling into the confirmation bias of "proving for the sake of proof".

Note: One decline was because the relevant data was reduced by the market, and this analysis always ignores this factor.

The corresponding two-month version iteration records are as follows:

Based on the above information, the functions iterated during this period are classified.

Output the following conclusion: Overall, each module of the APP has been optimized to varying degrees. Among them, iterations are mainly targeted at keywords such as “training”, “course”, and “membership”. Combined with the strategic positioning of the product: a fitness app with social attributes, analysis shows that such iterations are both reasonable and I think can be further optimized. The details are explained below.

2.1 Membership

• Add exclusive training plans and diet recording tools . In order to retain more intermediate or expert users and enhance the stickiness of this part of users.
• Choose multiple training plans to increase the average usage time of the app. From the user's perspective, the richness of training can be increased and more courses can be experienced; from a commercial perspective, more operating methods have been added.
• Users who need to experience new features or currently need multiple training plans may recharge their membership and then be bound to the membership system, thereby promoting the conversion of novice users into intermediate users. I personally think that the food logging tool and support for multiple training plans, especially the latter, should be open to all users. From the perspective of the KANO model, this function corresponds to the attractive attribute or the desired attribute.

2.2 Training and courses

• Enhance basic usage experience. Manually correct inaccurate running mileage. For users, this function does not solve the actual problem behind the demand - finding that the mileage does not match after running, or the sensor malfunctions while running. This practical problem will cause users to doubt the APP's exercise algorithm, and if the training records are incorrect, they will wonder why they should use this APP. The consequences of this accumulation of negative feelings are unimaginable. The actual solution to the problem should be based on technical considerations: when the APP is running in the background, the logic of the training function (focusing on the overall process from the beginning to the end of the training, user behavior analysis, finding out the cause of the problem), sensor information fusion, fault-tolerant design, etc.
• The newly added " free training plan " is mainly to guide users to experience the training plan function, increase user retention rate, and increase the conversion rate of the user funnel model.

2.3 Mall

• Increasing the variety of products can be a decision made after conducting extensive user surveys or correlation analysis of relevant data, in order to broaden the channels for APP commercialization, penetrate deeper into users' food, clothing, housing and transportation, and generate in-depth social communication.
• The mall discussion area function (a similar function is the product comment area, but the content of the comment area does not show the expected user discussion, sharing, etc., and the user activity is not high.) is designed to increase the mall's exposure and purchase rate through more targeted UGC. However, the intermediate process still needs to be polished, such as the basic settings of the discussion area (discussion/sharing/reporting/quick purchase), monitoring of bad behavior in the comment area (vulgar text, audio/malicious bad reviews), and user personal privacy.
• The purpose of supporting the viewing of shopping cart discount details is to guide the user's mind and make the user feel that purchasing within the APP can indeed save them some money. After users have such a positive experience, it not only increases the possibility of next purchase, but also facilitates the social dissemination of the APP.

03 Overview of Competitive Products

3.1 Competitive product selection

Based on the monthly independent device scale data of fitness industry apps obtained from iResearch (as shown below), the products for horizontal comparison are KEEP/Elantra/Gudong/Buduoduo.

Similar to other Internet industries, the Internet fitness industry also shows an obvious long-tail phenomenon. As of May 2020, based on the scale of independent devices, KEEP has 180 million units, ranking in the first echelon; Verna has about 12 million units, ranking in the second echelon; Xiaomi Sports, Mi Duo, and Gudong are all in the third echelon at 6 million units.

Based on the following product strategic positioning and core business, analyze the target users of the APP.

Note: The Xiaomi Sports app starts from the Xiaomi ecological chain and gradually transitions to the sports field by connecting smart hardware and software. Although it shares the same user base as several other apps, its reference value is limited when analyzing operational strategies, so this article does not analyze it.

04 Analysis of competitive product operation strategies

4.1 Longitudinal Analysis

(1) KEEP

• Course function: Optimized the experience of the course details page (ver.6.39) ——> Courses in the training history can be deleted, and the course details page supports previewing content (ver.6.41)
• Mall iteration: Mall revision (ver.6.35) -> Shopping cart function optimization, new courses in the mall (ver.6.40) -> New equipment discussion area (ver.6.41~ver.6.42)
• Membership benefits: More member-exclusive plans are launched (ver.6.35) -> Members can support multiple plans at the same time (ver.6.41) (ver.6.35) -> Member-exclusive diet record tool (ver.6.42)
• Others: Added manual calibration of running mileage (ver.6.41~ver.6.42), June card collection and coupons, 618 event (ver.6.42)

(2) Joy-Con

Running: Start-up speed optimization (ver.4.9.0) -> Running level display optimization (ver.4.9.1) -> Added record of all exercises in the "My" tab (ver.4.9.3) -> "Smile" progress bar (ver.4.9.6) -> Sports map visual upgrade, sports record upgrade, added multi-dimensional analysis of personal data and sports summary (ver.4.9.7) -> Comprehensive optimization of sports trajectory (ver.4.9.8)

(3) Gudong

• Sports: Add guidance for synchronizing APP steps to WeChat Sports (ver.9.19.2) ——> Improved stability and accuracy of indoor sports (ver.9.22) ——> Only hardware data can be exported to other health apps (ver.9.23) ——> Member running plan, rights optimization. Comparison of motivational language and goals (ver.９.24)
• Courses: Free live courses (ver.9.21) ——> Video courses and live courses can jump to courses, and all courses can be accurately searched (ver.9.23)
• Competition: Online competition registration (ver.9.26) ——> Cheer voice package expansion, competition status (ver.9.27)

(4) Buduoduo

• Event: New Bubble (ver.1.1.8) -> Arbor Day Skin (ver.1.1.9) -> Grain Rain Skin (ver.1.2.0) -> May Day Skin (ver.1.2.4)
• Content: Push function launched (ver.1.1.9) -> Added pet dog Duoduo (ver.1.2.3) -> Real-time running weather reminder (ver.1.2.5)
• Task: Stage red envelope (ver.1.1.8) -> Added pet dog Duoduo (ver.1.2.3)

In summary:

1. The core of KEEP's operation is to improve the training course experience, increase member benefits and optimize the mall shopping experience;
2. The optimization of Yuedongquan is mainly focused on the user experience of running;
3. Gudong mainly optimizes the user's sports experience. In addition, there are also related iterations in training courses and online events.
4. Buduoduo attracts users through special event operations and content operations. And combine with user tasks to enhance user stickiness.

4.2 Horizontal Analysis

05 Advantages and Disadvantages Analysis

5.1 Advantages

(1) External - PEST analysis

The sports and fitness industry has now entered a mature stage. In terms of demand, fitness awareness has been deeply rooted in people's minds and demand has grown steadily; in terms of financing, the financing boom has cooled down, capital is competing for leading companies, and newly established companies find it more difficult to obtain financing; in terms of products, product functions are constantly being optimized and many new models have emerged. During this period, KEEP, as a leading enterprise, occupied a large market share and the market tended to be saturated;

(2) Internal: “KEEP”

• Demand iteration: Explore the "training +" model while ensuring that the needs of core users are met.
• User operation: From the perspectives of user acquisition, activation, retention, monetization, and dissemination, KEEP has a complete operation system. Compared with Yuedongquan, Gudong and Buduoduo, the quality and quantity of UGC are higher.
• Brand operation: create brand effect. From KEEP Mall to KEEPland, we build our own brands and continue to expand our brand influence.
• Business model: membership courses, training programs, shopping malls, advertising cooperation, etc.

5.2 Disadvantages

(1) Content Operation

Course content: There is no feedback on difficulty and the course training is frequently skipped. The smart hardware connection prompt is not obvious. The iteration of running functions is relatively weak compared to that of Verna and Gudong.

Contents of the in-app store: The training content related to the integration with smart hardware is relatively limited or even missing. The shopping experience in the mall is poor, purchases within the app will jump to external mini-programs, and logistics updates are slow. Some product reviews are missing, and the secondary product reviews are hidden deeper.

(2) Event Operation

In addition to holiday activities, hot events, and brand collaborations, there are other aspects worth expanding.

06 Conclusion

1. Maintain your own advantages and find opportunities and threats from them

At present, as a leading company in online fitness, KEEP has a large number of users, and high user activity is its biggest advantage. How to take advantage of this and pursue further development while ensuring user growth is the top priority.

1. Starting from the user portrait of current typical users, relying on a large-scale user base and based on technological advantages, we deeply explore the user group from multiple dimensions. This is also the main means for vertical products to expand or compete for user groups, which is both an opportunity and a threat.
2. Agile development ensures that the product meets the needs of core users while being able to quickly adapt to new changes. Opportunity lies in change.
3. Deeply explore user participation paths, combine product features, and strengthen event operations and mall operations. Buduoduo attaches great importance to the activity operation of its products; KEEP also has personalized recommended courses and community content. Fundamentally, these meet the users' demand for personalization and can draw on the solutions of competing products.
4. Based on the product features of KEEP, the method of training plan + video class + live class + training plan is used to fully demonstrate the professionalism of KEEP as a sports and fitness product. Among them, live classes, as a new form of course training, have comparable competitors in multiple apps in vertical fields. There is still a lot of room for improvement in KEEP live classes.

2. Understand your weaknesses and explore opportunities and threats

KEEP started out as a tool-type software for fitness novices, and gradually radiated to various sports scenarios and different commercial models, thus realizing the transformation from a tool to a platform.

1. Compared with the way that Yuedongquan sets the mall entrance in the My TAB page, KEEP designs the mall entrance directly in the bottom navigation bar. This approach clearly shows KEEP's determination to improve the mall function, but the mall function can only be guaranteed to be available in actual use. Ease of use and stability features are yet to be addressed. If the mall function is done well, it is an opportunity; if it is not done well, it is a threat.
2. The architecture of the pages in KEEP needs to be optimized. Especially the sports and mall pages. For live classes, the activity entrance design requires users to find their location. New event alerts are easy to ignore. These factors will ultimately affect the user's personal experience. We can learn some interaction designs from Buduoduo.

Author: Panda Copywriter

Source: Panda Copywriter (creatwriter)