In a survey of ‘wearable intenders’ (those planning to purchase a wearable within six months), IDC found these people to be ‘tech savvy, high social and extremely style conscious’. They will lead the next wave of wearable adoption in the USA.
Wearable intenders are comfortable with technology (89%). More than three quarters of them (76%) check their smartphone first thing in the morning, and 87% use Facebook – with 29% saying that they check the site hourly.
Interest in wearables amongst these consumers is high. 74% agree that the technology is exciting, and 71% agree that wearables will be ‘the next big thing’ in technology. Two-thirds (65%) agree that wearables will have a positive impact on daily life.
Allan Fromen, IDC VP, said, “Intenders are enthusiastic about wearables but have hesitated to actually purchase a device. This implies that companies have not yet cracked the code to deliver something that is both functional and fashionable. Given that intenders are highly style conscious, companies clearly need to focus on the aesthetics of their product – perhaps even more so than the features.”
Preferred brands differed by category: Apple (52%) led for smartwatches, Fitbit (37%) for fitness trackers, Google (36%) for eyewear and Nike (40%) for clothing.
“Intenders are gravitating towards tech companies for wearables because tech companies have helped pioneer and move the market forward,” said IDC’s Ramon Llamas. “What will be interesting to observe is how tech companies partner with non-tech companies to develop new applications, or even how non-tech companies can compete in this space”
