Are GLP-1 medications hurting your weight loss app sales?

Let's address the 800lb gorilla in the room.

GLP-1 medications are changing consumer buying behaviour.

Many people find the idea of taking a pill more enticing than addressing the broken diet and lifestyle that's got them to where they are. Surprise, surprise, that's human nature.

And as a result, your weight loss app sales are probably suffering.

Do we think you should be worried?

Maybe a bit.

But here's the good news:

The market didn't shrink. It split. Both segments still need your app. You just need to adjust how you market to each of them.

Let me explain.

Observation 1: There's two consumer segments now

Segment M: People who want to lose weight by taking medications.

Segment N: People who still want to lose weight naturally.

Observation 2: What hasn't changed

People in both segments still need to make lifestyle changes. Diet and exercise. The drug doesn't fix the person's biology, it just reduces their appetite.

Segment M needs it to minimize the downsides of medicating: muscle loss, weight regain, ozempic face, etc. Most doctors don't educate patients on any of this. Some companies and people of influence are starting to do so.

Segment N needs it to hit a caloric deficit and actually lose the weight, same as always.

What we can learn from these observations:

This means both segments still need your weight loss app. They might just not know it yet.

That's your job. Educate them through retargeting ads, email marketing, a dedicated website FAQ, blog posts, and whatever other marketing channels you're already using.

Educate Segment M on why they still need to fix their lifestyle: to avoid the negative side effects of the medication, and to keep the weight off once they stop.

Educate Segment N on the negative side effects of the medication, so that if the idea of taking it comes up, they reject it.

Worth a quick word of warning here. Don't overdo this messaging. It should be a small part of your total marketing material.

We've seen a few companies reposition as a GLP-1 support solution, which we definitely don't recommend. It turns your product into a nice-to-have instead of a must-have.

Hope this was helpful!

Richard