The Promotion of Physical Activity from Digital Services: Influence of E-Lifestyles on Intention to Use Fitness Apps

Abstract

E-Lifestyles are individual forms of behavior in the digital environment that reflect the values, activities, interests, and opinions of consumers. Likewise, fitness Apps are considered technological tools for promoting physical activity online. Although there are studies related to sports lifestyles, it has not been analyzed yet how e-lifestyles are related to the use of fitness Apps. Based on this, this study represents a step to clarify how e-lifestyles influence different relationships with perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude, and intentions to use Fitness Apps. Therefore, the objective of the study was to analyze the relationship between the e-lifestyles of consumers of Boutique fitness centers and their relationship with the perceived ease of use, the perceived usefulness, the attitude, and the intention to use Fitness Apps. The sample was 591 customers (378 women and 213 men) of 25 Boutique fitness centers. An online questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation model. Findings provide an insight into the importance of e-lifestyles in the intention of using fitness Apps and therefore in promoting physical activity through online fitness services. The results showed positive relationships between e-lifestyles, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and attitude toward fitness Apps. Finally, the attitude toward fitness Apps offered a very high predictive value on use intention. This study provides a better understanding of consumer´s intention to use fitness Apps. The conclusions and recommendations for sports managers of fitness centers highlight the importance of e-lifestyles as a predecessor for the use of fitness Apps.

Use of Digital Media for Home-Based Sports Activities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the German SPOVID Survey

“…Online fitness clubs and influencers enable their followers and members to engage in fitness activities nearly anywhere and anytime, while social media platforms showcase lifestyle sports and fitness trends and distribute health- and fitness-related messages [ 4 ]. Many accounts elaborate on experiences with using fitness and physical activity apps or wearable devices [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Others assess the contribution of these technologies for physical activity levels [ 13 , 14 , 15 ] or explore gender and age differences in the usage of fitness apps [ 16 ].…”

Fitness industry business models: from the traditional franchising chain to the fitness boutique

“…The current product-service perspective is based on technology-mediated resources, most of them opened to the interoperability, so people could perceive a higher level of sense of place and a sort of positive addiction (Winchester & Washington, 2015). The most widespread tools during this era of connected fitness technologies are the massive use of fitness trackers (García-Fernández et al, 2020b), but inside these stages of new technologies adopted by the sector, there is also undoubtedly the proximity provided by the online app available in every portable device (IT for reservations, payments, promotions, and social-interaction among participants, and an online network of potential ones such as gamification, etc., for targeted purchasers awards or accumulate intangible points aiming engagement and fidelity). The users' perceptions, regarding the motivational climate, include task-and ego-involving, such as proper behaviour, commitment to exercise, and general life satisfaction (Brown & Fry, 2014;Polyakova & Ramchandani, 2020).…”

The Development Strategy of Home-Based Exercise in China Based on the SWOT-AHP Model

“…Finally, the lower rated factors in weakness and threat groups also cannot be ignored. As mobile sports apps become more practical, the number of people studying online sports courses is also increasing [76][77][78]. Traditional online sports courses are mainly based on physical exercise such as muscle strength and flexibility training, which is pretty boring for people.…”