Today's era is health-conscious with $1.8 trillion goes straight to health and wellness products. We are becoming obsessed with our health and well-being. As the health industry blooms, health coaching services and health-related products remain in great demand. Still, digital health coaching is on top of that list because it allows people to easily access from anywhere, at any time.
Back in 2016 when the very first online health coaching academy was founded, the sense of automation and day-to-day operation streamlining was a great challenge. Fast forward till today, expanding health coaching digitally still takes a lot of effort, but all seems smoother thanks to the availability of eCommerce platforms.
Now, we won’t keep you waiting any longer. Let’s explore the role of eCommerce platforms in scaling digital health coaching services!
How E-Commerce Platforms Facilitate Digital Health Coaching Businesses
There is an increased risk of health diseases among people today. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been much more focused on health. That’s why the demand for health coaching services has surged significantly. However, it would only be easy to provide these services seamlessly to health coaches with the assistance of eCommerce platforms.
The numbers speak volumes. By May 2024, there were over 13,000 active Shopify stores in the Business Service category and 150 in Consulting. This rise highlights how eCommerce platforms are enabling countless online businesses to succeed. The health coaching industry is no exception.
From these platforms, you will get tools that will help you in:
- New customer approach
- Inventory management
- Processing of payments
- Making the experience user-friendly, etc.
Healthcare practices need online scheduling for undeniable benefits. Image source: Porton Health
Thanks to eCommerce platforms, they serve as integral tools for digital coaching services by contributing to the infrastructure ideal for their growth. These infrastructures are robust enough to scale the progress of digital health coaching services. It’s apparent that in a digitally advanced world, virtual health coaching services and the eCommerce trend are forming a symbiotic relationship.
The Evolution of Digital Health Coaching Services
The evolution of health coaching services has been remarkable, particularly with the rise of digital health coaching. In the 1990s, telehealth began to emerge, allowing healthcare providers to offer limited remote consultations. This laid the groundwork for more comprehensive digital services.
As we moved into the 2000s, online fitness programs started to gain traction, making health resources much more accessible thanks to increased internet connectivity and mobile device usage.
By 2010, health and wellness apps became increasingly popular, enabling users to access personalized coaching on the go. The founding of Lenus in 2016, an online health coaching platform, marked a significant turning point, as it professionalized online health coaching and created a platform for coaches to reach a wider audience.
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 accelerated this shift, transforming online health coaching from a choice into a necessity for many seeking support during lockdowns. In 2021, Lenus Academy launched, focusing on holistic coaching that encompasses both physical and mental well-being. By 2022, the global health coach market was projected to grow significantly, driven by the convenience of digital solutions and increasing awareness of lifestyle-related health issues.
Looking ahead to 2024 and later years, ongoing advancements in technology and a growing emphasis on preventive health will continue to shape the future of digital health coaching. In detail, the healthcare coach market size is projected to reach $29.12 billion by 2032 with various digital advancements including: the surge of telemedicine and the provision of virtual consultation.
The health coach market is expected to witness consistent growth through the years. Image source: Precedence Research
Also, the credit for this change depends on customers’ preferences.
Since there’s only 30% of patients reported that their doctors check in with them regularly between office visits, most customers today prefer to get digital health coaching from the convenience of their homes.
And why not? Today's modern world has become fast-paced. It's become tough to manage separate time for every person to visit the existing health coaching platforms after doing the whole day's work. Digital health coaching services cut travel time and eliminate geographical limitations.
Hence, online health coaching saves every health-conscious individual from various health-related diseases. These digital services ensure their fitness and simultaneously save them extra time. The evolution in health coaching services from manual to digital is because of the choice of our present generation's digitally-driven society. In short, modern healthcare solutions need accessibility and convenience, and online health coaching services can provide that to customers well.
Many health coaching centers (both online and offline) keep personal health cheerleaders to provide enthusiastic support to their clients in their physical fitness journey.
A personal health cheerleader acts as a health mentor who motivates the client to pursue a better health and wellness routine. They encourage their clients by celebrating every milestone of their successes. The tailored strategies of the personal health cheerleaders bring positive changes in the client's lifestyles.
Therefore, in this modern and advanced world, where eCommerce scales the health coaching services, personal health cheerleaders serve as a beacon of inspiration in wellness.
The Challenges of Coaches Providing Offline and Online Health Coaching
Yes, it's true that with the advancement of digital technologies and eCommerce, the demand for digital health coaching services is increasing day by day.
However, though these digital fitness-related services are convenient for busy fitness-seeking people, the same does not apply to the digital service-providing health coaches.
The health coaches who earlier used to easily train fitness-seeking people physically are now facing different challenges due to the health training's shifting platform.
It has become quite hard for them to manage the entire process digitally. This is because not all health coaches are experts in handling training classes digitally. They first need to learn the same before proceeding with it.
However, the challenges are not only faced by the online health coaches. Many challenges are faced by both offline and online health coaching, especially time management challenges, since 41.1% of healthcare professionals don’t manage their time well. Other challenges include developing the business within a limited time, and balancing client sessions, the major ones are:
- Client acquisition
- Limitations in the availability of resources (technologies, staff, etc.)
- Maintaining service quality
- Regulatory compliance
- Technology integration for different purposes, including client management, communication, scheduling, etc.
Besides, offline training also has some specific limitations compared to health coaching platforms. The limitations are:
- Geographical constraints
- Limitations regarding the time-intensive scheduling process
- Limited accessibility
- Need for travel to the health coaching center
- Time-consuming
- Lack of flexibility
- Restricted to local audiences
The Role of E-Commerce Platforms in Scaling Digital Health Coaching Services
Digital health coaching always comes with challenges but not without solutions.
With the CAGR of eCommerce applications in the healthcare sector being 16.3%, the answer is revealed. ECommerce platforms come with many features like:
- Integrated communication tools
- Automated scheduling systems
- Secure payment gateways
They streamline the operations of health coaching services and also enhance the client experience.
Furthermore, eCommerce platforms have automation capabilities, which can empower online health coaching providers by expanding their reach and streamlining customer acquisition. This essentially takes away technical problems and helps health coaches concentrate better on producing quality services and programs.
Best Practices to Use E-Commerce Platforms for Health Coaching Services
Each eCommerce platform comes with great potential, and digital health coaching providers must leverage the full potential of these platforms. They should adopt some practices that would benefit their health coach business, including:
- Keeping the scalability requirement in mind.
- Going for the best features, which include customization options, integration capabilities, etc. It must also entail the facility of seamless payment processing.
- The platforms being flexible and customizable for business growth.
- The platforms must provide extraordinary customer support and self-service documents.
- Choosing the platforms that would fit their budgets.
- Optimizing product and service offerings according to the client's needs.
- Implementing tiered pricing models for getting recurring revenue.
- Running performance marketing and even sales.
Producing a quality and presentable website is essential to build trust with clients in health care services, and you now can utilize pre-built themes like HealSoul for a better jumpstart. Image source: ThemeForest
Practices adopted by the providers of health coaching services would maximize the success rate of online health coaching businesses, eventually driving sustainable growth.
However, you must also take care of the online and offline marketing of the health coaching services, including but not limited to:
- SEO optimization
- Engaging social media presence
- Email marketing
- Content marketing through valuable resources (blog posts, webinars, videos, etc.)
- Subtle paid advertising. An over-advertised healthcare service can create negative effects.
- Performance and analytics tracking tools
⭐ Ready to set up your online health coaching services? Get started quickly and pain-free with Shopify!
Trends and Opportunities of Health Coaching Industries
Many new trends are emerging in the health coaching industry. The health coaching services of this industry could be dependent on eCommerce platforms for:
- Integration of telehealth services
- Getting robust customization options (for generating tailored programs, tracking clients, etc)
- Virtual group coaching
- Integration with wearable technology
- The attainment of holistic health solutions (by having nutrient-rich foods, managing stress, etc)
Digital health coaching accounts for exciting future opportunities for innovation and expansion. And, it will only be possible with the support of eCommerce platforms.
The progressions that are expected to come in are:- Telehealth technologies
- The integration of AI-driven analytics (will be useful for personalized health training)
- The expansion in various niches related to health coaching services
All these developments in online health coaching services supported by eCommerce platforms will help fulfill the present and future customer demands. It will result in the health coaching centers earning a lot of wealth, followed by their long-term success.
Predictions for the Heath Coach industry. Image source: Precedence Research
Digital Health Coaching and Ecommerce Will Go Hand-in-hand
Running a digital health coaching center is not an easy task. Nevertheless, these hard tasks are converted easily by the eCommerce platforms into easy ones as they surge the health coaching services. Just in case you need a recap on the best practices when running your health coaching services on an eCommerce platform, here it is:
- Focus on scalable platforms that support future growth.
- Prioritize features like customization options, integration, and easy payment processing.
- Choose flexible, customizable platforms that adapt as the business grows.
- Look for platforms with strong customer support and helpful self-service resources.
- Select options that fit within the budget.
- Tailor products and services to meet client needs.
- Use tiered pricing models to secure ongoing revenue.
- Run performance marketing and sales efforts to boost growth
Lastly, we highly recommend that you choose a powerful eCommerce platform to get all your work started. Should you be new to eCommerce, Shopify would be a perfect choice. It’s functional and beginner-friendly with no coding skills required. Try it out and let FoxEcom know where we can support you along the way.
