Why Health and Wellness Businesses Should Pay Attention to the WeightWatchers Business Model
Health and wellness is a booming industry. Many people want to give importance to their overall health to avoid illness and improve the quality of their life. As a result, the global wellness market was worth $4.4 trillion in 2022. By 2025, it is expected to reach $6.9 trillion.
While many health and wellness businesses have become successful due to this, one stands out: WeightWatchers. This company is among the most popular wellness brands, offering various services, including weight loss and maintenance, fitness, and mindset resources. In 2022, it had a gross profit of $622.4 million thanks to support from millions of its members.
If you run a wellness business and eventually want to achieve the same growth and status in the wellness industry, here are a few reasons why you should pay attention to the WeightWatchers business model:
It stays on top of trends
Although many people aim to lose weight, how they choose to do so is changing. A major one is dieting culture, which was focused on achieving thinness and weight loss. However, younger generations reject this idea, as losing weight doesn’t always guarantee optimal health. Still, older generations who grew up with the trend see the appeal of weight loss and dieting. The challenge here is deciding how to cater your offerings to customers across age groups despite their differing preferences.
This is where you can take note of WeightWatchers’ business model. The company rebranded in 2018 to become a lifestyle brand instead of focusing on weight loss alone. One way it caters to customers across demographics is by providing educational resources on overcoming specific health challenges. Take the ongoing obesity epidemic, an issue prevalent in the US—where its largest market resides. For this, it created a comprehensive article explaining overweight vs obesity. It outlines the BMI criteria for each—27 for overweight individuals, 30 and above for obesity—and notes that while being overweight presents risks of developing heart disease and diabetes, obesity is connected to more serious conditions like stroke and cancer. It also informs members how the brand can help them overcome these through healthy lifestyle changes, such as changing their diets, workouts, and sleeping habits.
By promoting your offerings in a way that meets clients’ changing needs, your health and wellness business can maintain relevancy even as beliefs and trends regarding the industry evolve. That means you can keep your old clients and prevent new and prospective ones from switching to the competition, which may offer products and services more in tune with your target audience’s preferences. WeightWatchers’ rebranding and focus on education are two strategies you can keep in mind for your own company.
It encourages its members to interact
A person subscribing to a health and wellness company’s programs can achieve their goals alone by simply completing things like diet plans and recommended workouts independently. Nonetheless, Social connectedness is vital for overall health, as it helps create trust and resilience within communities. Considering this, health and wellness companies should go the extra mile and encourage socialization and involvement among their clients.
WeightWatchers does this by encouraging its members to interact with one another through in-person and virtual meetings. In these sessions, everyone can share stories and tips, support one another in reaching their goals, and help one another cope with the struggles of achieving a healthy lifestyle—like maintaining a consistent workout schedule.
By encouraging social interactions, despite health and wellness being achievable on one’s own with guidance from a coach, you can foster deeper connections among the users and or members of your offerings to further benefit their overall wellness—as well as their trust in your brand. Doing so also builds a culture of support for your company that appeals to a wider customer base, as you’re openly displaying how you prioritize your customers’ overall well-being. Looking at how WeightWatchers does so for those who join their program can help you figure out how you can apply them to your own business model.
It gives importance to storytelling
Health and wellness are intangible. One cannot determine whether a person who looks healthy is in good health and vice versa. As such, those interested in partaking in your health and wellness offerings have no way to determine whether your products and services are actually effective—unless current clients share their experiences. After all, storytelling builds trust and credibility in wellness brands, convincing interested users that they can benefit from a certain company’s offerings.
That’s one thing other businesses should take from WeightWatchers’ business model. It leverages the power of storytelling by allowing current clients to share their wellness journeys and how effective its programs have worked for them. The company allows members to share their stories, and it even has a dedicated page for ambassadors—usually public personalities like Tia Mowry and Daphne Oz. In doing so, interested and current members can see how these people have achieved wellness with the company’s help. It also builds trust between the company and potential clients—even before they start using the services.
Similarly, you can ask your customers, users, or members if they want to share their progress and experiences with your products and services. You can then share these testimonials to public platforms like your website and social media to show the public they’re trustworthy, safe, and reliable. That way, you can attract even more potential customers who already initially trust your brand to help them achieve their wellness goals—just like those who shared their stories.
WeightWatchers has helped many people achieve their health and wellness goals over the decades. Your own health and wellness company can take inspiration from its business model to improve its chances of reaching that same level of success.