Self-Regulation and External Influence: The Relative Efficacy of Mobile Apps and Offline Channels for Personal Weight Management

Abstract

On the basis of a novel panel data set on customers enrolled in an actual weight loss program that delivers services through a mobile app and offline stores, this study shows that use of the mobile app is positively associated with weight management by both free and paid users. For paid users, who have access to the mobile app and office visits, usage of both channels is associated with short-term weight loss. Furthermore, the two channels function as substitutes for one another, with users able to compensate for infrequent offline store visits through more intense mobile app usage. In the long term, however, only mobile app usage (and not offline store visits) contributes to the sustainability of weight loss. Additional empirical analyses further reveal that frequency and granularity of mobile app usage are positively associated with weight loss. We also find that individuals exposed to low performance pressure benefit more fully from mobile app usage. Overall, the empirical results, together with qualitative evidence gleaned from interviews with actual customers, suggest that mobile app usage and the self-regulation that it enables exert a relatively greater impact on personal weight management compared with the external influence stemming from human experts in offline channels.