According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a whopping 68.5 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, and it doesn’t look like the younger generations will grow up to decrease that percentage, as they are already entering adolescence with significant weight problems of their own.
According to Pew and Nielsen surveys, another group of Americans—nearly 50 percent, in fact—carry smartphones. What do these two groups have in common? A cross section of these groups, those who want to manage their weight and own a smartphone, are the target audience of Vemma’s new free app, Bod-e.
Chris and Heidi Powell, celebrity TV weight-loss coaches, are featured in the app as personal coaches. Vemma and Chris Powell developed the weight-loss plan around his New York Times best-selling book.
The app’s many features are a perfect fit for Gen Ys, with a constant stream of video messages from the trainers and a progress tracker with a weekly progress photo upload. Messaging and photo-sharing make up two of a smartphone user’s most common activities. Users determine when they want to be reminded, and the app sends reminders throughout each day to keep participants motivated, engaged and on track.
While Vemma hopes to increase both its number of customers and brand partners with the app, Vemma Founder and CEO BK Boreyko points out that the app has value, whether or not the Bod-e products are purchased. Features include reminders of what and when to eat, recipes and an option to “favorite” them, a grocery list builder, and two Gen Y favorites: a fast-food menu that lists the “carb-cycle approved” menu items from the top 20 restaurant chains and social media sharing support on Facebook and Twitter.
Boreyko says, “We’re betting people will fall in love with this app and the lifestyle Chris and Heidi Powell are known for. If any of our Bod-e products or our new Chris Powell Bod-e Shake can help them get to their goals faster, everybody wins!”
The app also directly benefits Vemma brand partners with its sampling program, which is tied to social sharing. Partners can send tweets and make posts that offer friends a free Vemma Bod-e shake along with Chris Powell’s Top 10 Weight-Loss Tips DVD, and an invitation to download the app. The prospect pays $4.95 shipping and handling. Everything is “hands free, fee free” for the brand partner as Vemma fulfills the sample package and notifies the partner with a push notification when it’s received.
Having already won numerous awards, the Bod-e App is available as a free download for iPhone and Android, and is yet another way that direct sellers can leverage mobile technology to help people reach their goals.
