Wearables are the new sales boom

Interest in buying and using wearables is very heterogeneously distributed among internet users. The target group of those interested in and owners of wearables differs in terms of gender, among other things: While 41% of female internet users express an interest in fitness wristbands, only 34% of the men surveyed are interested in such products. The opposite is true for smartwatches: with a ratio of 37% to 31%, this product is particularly popular with men. Wearables as a status symbol for the upper classes?Overall, the topic of wearables is currently particularly popular among the educated, career-conscious and higher-earning sections of the population. For example, 58% of fitness wristband owners have a personal net income of over EUR 2,000, which is above the average for German internet users as a whole. Owners of smartwatches, on the other hand, are characterized by increased career awareness, which at 73% is well above the average (61%) of German internet users. In terms of the age of the wearable target group, however, a homogeneous picture emerges: the greatest interest in wearables products can be found in the 20 to 40 age group.

The focus is on fitness tracking, communication and informationWhen asked about their use of wearables, fitness tracking is the primary focus among owners of smartwatches and similar devices: More than half of those surveyed use their wearable to track and analyze health and fitness data. Communication and information are also important areas: A good 40 percent of wearable owners receive and read messages—such as emails, text messages, or WhatsApp messages—on their wearables; another 26 percent are interested in doing so. One in three uses their device to receive information about incoming calls, closely followed by the use of information services such as weather updates, traffic reports, or news, at 34 percent.Wearables are the new sales boomOnly six percent of internet users own a wearable, i.e. a technical device that can be worn on the body, such as a fitness wristband, smartwatch or data glasses. Nevertheless, experts believe that wearables will also trigger a new sales boom in this country. According to the survey results, 16% of internet users are planning to purchase one or more wearables. Initial reports of the success of the Apple Watch, for example, which has been available in Germany since June this year without excessively long delivery times and has catapulted from zero to second place in the global wearable market, also seem to underpin this trend.