Sun Life Financial, Fitbit and new rewards for daily steps contribute to app's growth
Canada's celebrated wellness incentives app, Carrot Rewards, recently introduced new initiatives and partnerships as part of its long-term growth strategy.
A new daily step tracker feature allows users of the popular free app to earn rewards for achieving their personalized walking goals. A large majority of BC users are already earning daily rewards for walking and nearly ten billion steps taken by British Columbians this summer have been tracked and rewarded through the Carrot app.
Starting today the Carrot app will also be integrated with the industry leading activity tracking device, Fitbit. BC residents will now have one more convenient option for connecting and earning daily activity rewards through Carrot (in addition to Health Kit and Google Fit).
Also starting today Sun Life Financial, in close collaboration with the Canadian Diabetes Association, is proudly joining the broader Carrot coalition in British Columbia as the sponsor of all the Steps rewards that BC residents earn through the app.
"Thousands of British Columbians have already taken steps toward a healthier lifestyle with the Carrot Rewards app," Government of British Columbia Health Minister Terry Lake said. "We know that increased activity can have positive benefits for our health and, thanks to these new partnerships, there are now even more incentives to get people moving and receive rewards for healthy behaviour."
"We're proud to be expanding the Carrot eco-system and functionality so significantly again," says CARROT insights (developer of Carrot Rewards) CEO Andreas Souvaliotis. "By joining hands with genuine game-changer organizations like Sun Life, Fitbit and the Canadian Diabetes Association, we are further enhancing the effectiveness of our powerful program and we're helping build an even healthier Canada."
"One in three Canadians is affected by diabetes or prediabetes," says Rick Blickstead, President and CEO, Canadian Diabetes Association. "The good news is that in many of the cases, type 2 diabetes can be delayed and/or prevented with healthier eating or increased physical activity. By partnering with Carrot and Sun Life, we hope to encourage people to take charge of their health and be rewarded for achieving a healthy lifestyle."
Sun Life is committed to the prevention of diabetes and its related complications. Since announcing support of the cause in late 2012, Sun Life has proudly committed over $13 million towards diabetes awareness, prevention, care and research initiatives.
"Sun Life is proud to partner with CARROT Insights and the Canadian Diabetes Association in supporting this unique health initiative in British Columbia," says Chris Denys, SVP Possibilities, Digital Health Solutions, Sun Life Financial Canada. "It aligns with our mission to proactively engage Canadians and empower them to take a more active role in managing their health and well-being."
The Carrot Rewards app has seen significant success since it launched in BC six months ago. To date, nearly 2% of British Columbians have downloaded the app and have earned over a hundred million loyalty points just for learning how to live healthier and for achieving simple daily activity goals. Carrot is now being rolled out across the rest of Canada with similarly impressive results.
The Government of Canada, through the Public Health Agency of Canada, invested $5 million over five years in the Carrot Rewards app project. The Government of British Columbia provided $2.5 million to support the early launch of the app in B.C. Including contributions from the private sector, a total of more than $15 million has already been invested in this world-leading program.
Learn More:
Carrot Rewards: https://www.carrotrewards.ca/
CARROT insights: www.carrotinsights.com
Sun Life: https://www.sunlife.ca/diabetes
Public Health Agency of Canada: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/
Canadian Diabetes Association: www.diabetes.ca
Heart and Stroke Foundation: www.heartandstroke.com
YMCA Canada: www.ymca.ca
