Wearable Sales Poised For Rapid Growth

As we are in the early months of 2015 one thing is clear in the world of mobile and that is that wearables are going to take off. We are seeing the hardware, software and user interest all coming together right now in a way that will drive growth. Wearables devices such as web-connected watches, fitness trackers  and sensors for tracking health aren’t mainstream quite yet, but research firm Gartner projects wearables will be a multi-billion-dollar market by 2016.

One of the keys are the inexpensive sensors now available.  These sensors are used in wearables to monitor activities such as health status. Lower component cost is bringing the costs down to an attractive point to users.

Software developers are developing mobile applications that interact with these devices bringing greater and greater functionality to users. Mobile applications developers can help you integrate wearable devices into your marketing program.

Forrester reports that 45 percent of online adults  in the U.S. say they are interested in getting a wearable device. Of the respondents already interested in wearables, 44 percent cited numerous apps they would like to use on wearables, such as 66 percent say they would use wearables for access to maps.

Looking specifically at mobile commerce, 53 percent of the adults interested in wearables mentioned they would like to see information about products they are looking at on wearables while shopping. Additionally, 30 percent said they would like to receive proactive promotions from retailers on wearable, according to Forrester. Half of respondents cited they would like to be able to conduct online searches for information with a wearable.