Trend in the News: Move-to-Earn Apps and Gaming Platforms–That Reward People for Hitting Exercise and Wellness Goals–Are on Fire  

Week of June 8th, 2022

Move To Earn: A Temporary Fad Or Here To Stay?–Entrepreneur
This article looks at several companies in the move-to-earn space that have transformed the concept from a niche innovation in the crypto world to a pop culture phenom–from Wirtual, where you track your movement (whether running, walking, swimming, dancing, etc.) on your wearable to earn Wirtual coins to Genopets, the first free, move-to-earn crypto game, which blends the gaming elements of training and battling. Explores some risks with these models: from monetization challenges to the need to move from rewards driving players to exciting games that attract pure players, too.   

The Gamification of FitnessApple women’s health study links polycystic ovary syndrome to other serious health conditions–The Walrus
A thoughtful overview of the promise–and some issues to ponder–in the gamification of fitness and rewarding people to move. Looks at the interesting public-private case study of Carrot Rewards in Canada, which received a $5 million government investment, and where users earned points for hitting daily step counts and taking health quizzes, to earn real-world rewards like movie tickets. It was a success: with 1 million users in its four years and its positive results quantified in medical journals. Interviews scientists on how the established science around “nudge theory” is getting translated into new gamified fitness models.  

New credit cards and apps are here to reward you for spending on your wellness (and also hitting wellness and fitness goals)– Well+Good
This is about new credit cards and apps–Ness, Paceline and KrowdFit–that reward you with cash back or reward points to spend at other wellness businesses when you spend on wellness (such as buying running shoes or a meditation app). Their idea: to incentivize you to make wellness spending a regular, rewarding habit. But notably, these credit cards are also rewarding you for hitting wellness goals. KrowdFit enters members into big cash giveaways for hitting specific health goals on their linked wearable; With Paceline, link your card to your fitness tracker, and double your cashback rewards (to 5%) every time you do 150 minutes of movement a week.  

The TRENDIUM is a compendium of the latest trends impacting the
multi-trillion dollar global wellness economy.

Sign-up for bi-weekly TRENDIUM emails.