Wearable technology is one of the biggest topics this year due to the release of the Apple watch and the Fitbit, but what effect is it going to have on businesses and their marketing? With these devices already becoming increasingly popular and set to reach to 100 million devices by 2016 it’s about time we looked at the impact they are having.
Consumer data
Wearable devices are able to monitor and collect valuable information from its users, such as where they are and how long they have been at their destination.
Not only that but their motives and lifestyle too, for example whether they visit the gym and go straight to a fast food restaurant afterwards, once the information has been established and collected you are able to market more effectively and more personally.
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DMC Software carried out an interview with mobile specialist Jay Karsandas, who stated that “2015 will be the year that wearable technology goes mainstream”.
Wearables have not only provided marketers with information which they couldn’t get from smartphone users, but the wearable technology has given digital marketers a clearer view on how to successfully engage with consumers.
These devices are being used multiple times throughout a day, more than any other technological device, with people checking them constantly with the easy access that means every minute is trackable.
Increase of competitiveness
Devices like the apple watch are set to introduce a set time limit of 10 seconds per use, this means advertisers that want to see a return of their marketing efforts will have just a few seconds to provide a customer with what they want, this has the potential to increase competition.
These devices may see smaller businesses at a disadvantage compared to larger rivals, but these smaller companies have more freedom to experiment and try them out.
A study carried out by Goldsmiths, University Of London saw that wearable technologies can boost employee productivity by 8.5%, not only this but wearables help to increase job satisfaction by more than 3%. Meaning productivity, efficiency and employee happiness can be boosted in small businesses just by wearable technology.
New opportunities will arise
Marketers aren’t the only ones who will benefit from the rise of wearable technology. The devices will have to have new specific apps for new systems.
New opportunities for development, labour and marketing will arise within the economy and this is shown with statistics estimated by MarketsandMarkets who suggests the wearable electronics and technology market worth £7.4 billion by the year 2020.
New marketing ways
Could wearable tech bring a halt to text? With smaller screens on these devices marketers need to decide upon a new way to reach their audience.
It’s likely that articles, texts and blogs may all be converted into imagery instead so that it can be easily viewed. You could also attempt to edit text down to accommodate the screen but telling a story in fewer words may be a less effective method.
The Apple watch has an exciting piece of technology called Haptic Technology where pressure is applied on the user’s skin through the use of vibrations, prods and rhythms. This could be a potentially new form of communication and language where brands could create their own signature rhythms.
Social Media advertising could be especially affected by this shift of device as many marketers post and share blog posts on social media.
However, with the move over from smartphone to the likes of the Apple watch, click-bait to encourage links back to a website will be unreadable on a watch face- hence why content marketing may forget text altogether.
The expansion of devices can be looked forward to by marketers as they will be provided with better more reliable data to work with, alongside with brands attaining wider audience insights.
This won’t come by easily though, marketers may get valuable in-depth knowledge and information from the wearable device but successfully marketing to suit the changeover could prove a challenge.