DALLAS, TX — (Marketwired) — 07/09/15 — Over 40% of mart watches are bought as gifts, and with these devices rising in popularity, they will be a hot holiday item in 2015, according to Parks Associates– . The international research firm finds 9% of U.S. broadband households plan to buy a smart watch by end of 2015, up from 8% in 2014.
“Nearly two-thirds of smart watches were purchased during the holiday season last year, so retailers and manufacturers should be preparing now for a smart watch push during the 2015 holidays,” said , Director, Health & Mobile Product Research, Parks Associates. “Consumers expect the smart watch to be part of the mobile and connected home ecosystem. Among both owners and those planning to purchase a smart watch, 42% will buy a smart watch only if it works with apps from multiple companies, so manufacturers must ensure their offering is interoperable with other devices in the consumer IoT.”
In 2014, Best Buy and Amazon.com were the leading sales outlets for smart watches; they accounted for 44% of the market. Walmart–s share of the market jumped from 2% in 2013 to 7% in 2014. In the early stages of this market, consumers will gravitate to familiar sales channels for electronics, which makes Apple–s entry into this market even more potent, according to Parks Associates.
“Apple–s entry into the smart watch race in 2015 provides a much needed impetus to growth in smart watch adoption, which has hitherto failed to meet expectations,” Wang said. “Traditional and luxury smart watch manufacturers have been playing a waiting game to gauge consumer interest and reactions to the smart watch. Apple–s entry introduces some urgency as the traditional and luxury watch manufacturers do not want to fall too far behind when introducing new products.”
analyzes the market for smart watches, including prices paid, brands purchased, retail channels, and feature considerations. According to Parks Associates, 52% of consumers in U.S. broadband households who own or plan to purchase a smart watch use it or plan to use it for tracking fitness activities, 51% for checking the weather, and 50% for listening to music. One-fourth use it or will use it for mobile payment or shopping features, 22% for home automation features, and only 17% for checking stock quotes.
Parks Associates will address the integration of wearables into consumer healthcare at its second-annual , September 9-10 in San Diego. The event features keynotes from AT&T, Humana, and Kaiser Permanente. For more information, visit .
Smart Watch and Beyond: New Mobile Experiences is available for purchase. More information is available at . To schedule an interview with an analyst or to request specific research data, please contact Holly Sprague at .
Parks Associates is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market reports, primary studies, consumer research, custom research, workshops, executive conferences, and annual service subscriptions.
The company–s expertise includes the Internet of Things (IoT), digital media and platforms, entertainment and gaming, home networks, Internet and television services, digital health, mobile applications and services, support services, consumer apps, advanced advertising, consumer electronics, energy management, and home control systems and security.
Each year, Parks Associates hosts industry webcasts, the CONNECTIONS Conference Series, Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, and Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers.
Holly Sprague
Parks Associates
720.987.6614
You must be logged in to post a comment Login