Anonymous Dieter Characteristics & Preferences

For Selected Metrics

Period:  January 1 – March 31, 2005

© Copyright April 2005, Marketdata Enterprises, Inc. Reproduction or distribution in whole or in part, by any means written or electronic, without prior written permission of the copyright owner is strictly prohibited. Violators will be fully prosecuted under U.S. copyright and intellectual property laws.

Research Scope & Methodology

Marketdata Enterprises, via its website BestDietForMe.com, has the capacity to track online dieter behavior and preferences. Daily visitors to this website (approximately 60,000 per month as of late March) complete an in-depth 50-question online survey that probes their: personal demographic data, medical conditions, budget for a weight loss program, readiness, preferences for the type of counseling and location of the weight loss program, food plan preferences, food allergies and special needs, exercise habits, and 15 areas related to the psychology of overeating.

When they complete this survey, they opt in and are provided a list of “matches” – the names of diet companies/programs (i.e. Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, eDiets.com, Medifast, etc.) best suited to their needs and lifestyle. These matches are generated from approximately 60 popular diet programs/companies, wherein each program is classified by approximately 50 features—whether they provide them or not. Website visitors are also able, after providing additional information (name and mailing address) to immediately obtain detailed reports describing those programs. There is NO fee to consumers for this customized analysis.

SAMPLES OF MEASURES TRACKED – PARTIAL LIST

Note: The 1^st Quarter 2005 is the first (baseline) report, so data and percent changes are not included for the 2^nd quarter. They will be included with the next report.

 Starting Weight (in pounds)

Commentary: The above data show just HOW overweight online dieters are. This data was obtained from self-reported weights provided by consumers completing the BDFM survey. Remember that 94% of these online dieters are female.

Medical Conditions

Percent of BDFM survey takers that have a medical condition, by kind/disease, ranked by percent/frequency

Note: figures below will add to more than 100% since respondents may check multiple responses.

Commentary: The above data shows that high blood pressure is the leading medical condition affecting online dieters. Headaches and migraines combined also rank high on the list. This relative ranking should be of keen interest to physicians with weight loss programs, hospital-based programs, and drug companies marketing weight loss products. BestDietForMe.com analysts are a little surprised that the share reporting diabetes is not higher, given the obesity rates reported earlier.

Preferred Weight Loss Program Location

Percent of BDFM survey takers that want:

Commentary: Most dieters overall are do-it-yourselfers—estimated by others to be as high as 70%. The BDFM data show this as well, as this is the #1 preferred weight loss program format or location desired. However, a significant share do want to use a drive-to “bricks and mortar” weight loss center. As dieter preferences shift due to new technologies, the home/online/telephone share may rise—IF these programs are better meeting dieters’ needs. Responses here can be correlated to the budget question. Most home/online/telephone diet programs do cost less than $250.

Counseling Format

Percent of BDFM survey takers that prefer counseling formats as follows:

Commentary: It’s clear that most online dieters prefer a self-directed, do-it-yourself counseling approach. However, a significant 27% do want the personal attention of a weight loss counselor. An increase in the one-to-one ratio indicates that online dieters are seeking more personalized attention. If they use a diet website of some kind, they will likely want personal communications or emails with the company’s dietitian, fitness counselor, psychologist, or other expert—not just chat rooms and bulletin boards. Or, it may indicate a shifting preference for in-person relationships with a counselor located at a physical weight loss center or a dietitian or nutritionist.                

SAMPLES OF ADDITIONAL ONLINE MARKET ANALYSES

INCLUDED IN REPORT

Overview of The Online Dieting Market…  (partial section)

Four or five years ago, “cyberdieting” began to emerge as a new channel for weight loss companies to deliver their products and services via the Internet. Many websites sprung up, some with broad-based health and wellness offerings covering information for a wide variety of common ailments. One such company was DrKoop.com (now out of business).  Others had a narrower focus, specializing in weight loss or nutritional counseling.  The philosophy was to build a delivery model that carried dramatically lower overhead than “bricks and mortar” weight loss centers.

More weight loss websites are moving to a paid subscription/paid content model these days. In addition, the standards of the online dieter are higher today than just a few years ago. Web technology has also improved, to the point where a variety of online weight loss tracking tools and calculators can be used, clients can patronize true e-commerce stores, and information seekers can get “virtual tours” of a company’s weight loss center, with full audio and neat graphics.

In addition to those actually selling a diet program or product, there are many websites that provide free or low-cost weight loss information, diet program reviews, advice and diet tips, chat rooms and personalized menu planning. Such examples include: chasefreedom.com, dottie’s weight loss zone, diet-i.com and annecollins.com. Some of these companies are based outside the United States.

The Major Diet WebSites…   (partial section)

• EDiets.com

• Weight Watchers.com

• NutriSystem.com

• WebMD Weight Loss Clinic

• Dietwatch.com

• ChangeOne (Reader’s Digest)

• iVillage.com

• Allrecipes.com

• iShape (Shape magazine’s website)

• South Beach Diet.com

• Zone Perfect.com (The Zone diet program)

• CaloriesCount.com (service of the Calorie Control Council)

Market Size…    (partial section)

No one seems to know just how many diet websites are operating. Marketdata contacted Jupiter Research and they don’t know, but they do estimate the size of the market for “online diet content spending” at $250 million. Dietwatch management estimates the market’s value at $150-200 million, representing more than 10% of the revenues of commercial weight loss centers. The company projects that the share for online dieting will rise to 20-30% of the commercial chains’ revenues in five years (2010). We do know that there are about 850 online dating/personals websites (data from Hitwise). We imagine that with the size of the weight loss market, there have to be at least as many diet websites as online dating.

 …and Much More…  Full report is 52 pages long

Questions? Need more information?

Contact: John LaRosa, Monday-Friday at:

813-931-3900 or via email anytime at:

 john@marketdataenterprises.com

BestDietForMe.com / Marketdata Enterprises, Inc.

2807 W. Busch Blvd., Suite 110, Tampa, Fl 33618