Weight Loss and Modern Technology
For over forty years, the Weight Watchers organization has devoted itself to the helping people lose weight in a manner that was safe, practical, and manageable. Beginning in September of 1961 by a single woman in Queens, New York, the company has grown from a small, individual program to becoming the “global leader in weight management services, providing 50,000 Weight Watchers meetings each week in countries all over the world” (Weight Watchers International, Inc., 2013). Back in the sixties, the Weight Watchers program was provided face to face; individuals attended weekly meetings with peers. Today, the program has expanded to offer a wider variety of tools and options for members; members can attend meeting, access and use the Weight Watchers program online, and, most recently, the official Weight Watchers Smart Phone App.
Accommodating Busy Lifestyles with Modern Technology
For many years, those who wanted to participate in the Weight Watchers program only had the option of attending the weekly, in-person meetings. While those able to attend usually were able to find success with the program, it left a gap for those with busier lifestyles on the go. Those with full-time jobs could not stop their work day to go to physical meetings. With the development of electronic commerce, or E-commerce, companies had the option to offer their information, products and services through computer networks, including the internet (Rainer Jr. & Cegielski, 2007). Weight Watchers now had a way to allow individuals to participate in their program at their own convenience through their online program. With Weight Watchers Online, a member can track their food history, weight, measurements, activities, set goals, find support, and, perhaps most importantly, look up food nutrition information easily and conveniently (Weight Watchers International, Inc., 2013).
The Weight Watchers Mobile App was designed to take this product availability one step farther. The official app, available through both the iOS and Android markets, allows for the Weight Watchers products and services to be available to consumers anytime and from any location through the use of smartphones. The app, free to download but only useable by members of the program, has added a new dimension to the company. This multichanneling, a form of E-business that integrates both “online and offline channels for maximum reach and effectiveness” (Turban, Volonino, & Wood, 2010), allowing Weight Watchers as a company to reach consumers on both ends of the digital divide, a “gap between those who have access to information and communications technology and those who do not” (Rainer Jr. & Cegielski, 2007).
Weight loss on the go: Changes for members
Weight Watchers revolutionized weight management by creating an easy for individuals to track the nutritional value of food by assigning a number value to foods based on the food’s content of calories, fiber, carbohydrates, etc – this is known as the Weight Watchers Points Program (Weight Watchers International, Inc., 2013). With a specific daily allotment of points, members focus heavily on the point values of foods – while the online program allowed individuals to look up Point values through their website, this did little to help people on the go. Unexpected business lunches, shopping at a new market location, or travel out of town were common headaches for members. The creation of a smart phone mobile app has allowed for members to truly be able to calculate their Points wherever they are.
This also means that members can fully customize a program that works for them. For many, even with Weight Watchers Online and the mobile app, they prefer the stronger accountability that comes from face to face contact found in group meetings, and also the easier financial obligation. Typically, members who chose to go to meetings would pay the cost to attend for every meeting they went to while actually attending the meeting, and only pay for meetings they go to, while those who choose to use the online program choose a flat-rate cost for unlimited access to the website resources for anywhere from one to three months at a time. Now, though, customers have the option to pay a slightly higher rate that includes both the weekly meetings and the online program – which therefore allows them access to the mobile app (Weight Watchers International, Inc., 2013).
Future enhancements for weight management
Weight Watchers has made great strides within the last decade to utilize modern technology for the benefit of its members. Currently, the company has been working on the development of an additional mobile app designed to help members on the go – a digital barcode scanner. This works very similarly to quick response, or QR codes (Turban, Volonino, & Wood, 2010), using a smartphone’s camera to scan the barcode for food items and display their Points value. The app, which currently in use, is acknowledged as being incomplete and still a work in progress (Weight Watchers International, Inc., 2013), but it shows that more advancements for the company are underway. Soon it may be possible for members to simply take a picture of their dinner plate, and be given a Point estimate. It is also possible for Weight Watchers to use their technological advancements to tie back to their beginnings and create virtual group meetings through video conferencing. This would allow people to have both the convenience of online tracking tools and services along with the accountability of face-to-face meetings.
In summation, Weight Watchers has always known that weight alone does not account for health; they understand that “A healthy body results from a healthy lifestyle - which means mental, emotional and physical health” (Weight Watchers International, Inc., 2013). This integrated approach to weight management parallels their approach to business – by having various ways for consumers to use their products and information. From brick-and-mortar establishments where people can attend meetings to a mobile app for people on the go, the are helping people across the world find motivation and support in changing their lives for the better. References
Rainer Jr., R. K., & Cegielski, C. G. (2007). Introduction to information systems: Supporting and transforming business (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc..
Turban, E., Volonino, L., & Wood, G. R. (2010). Information technology for management: Advancing sustainable, profitable business growth (9th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc..
Weight Watchers International, Inc. (2013, May 24). Weight Watchers Mobile App. Retrieved May 24, 2013, from Weight Watchers: http://www.weightwatchers.com