Abhilash Panda is the CEO and official spokesperson of DIZO India. He brings a fresh outlook with his years of experience and an unmatched understanding of the ever-changing consumer tech landscape in India. He is passionate about DIZO and believes in the company’s consumer-centricity and its mission to offer Smart Tech Life for Every Different You. He is responsible for all areas of operations including sales, marketing, R&D and innovation, supply chain, human resources, among others as well as the front-end for all official announcements by the brand.
Ever heard of eyeglasses made of gemstones? Very fascinating and yes, the evolution of smart wearables dates to Roman Emperor Nero who wore emerald eyeglasses to aid his near-sightedness and to take the glare off on a sunny day. Likewise, invented in 1812 by Abraham-Louis Breguet, the first wristwatch was created for the Queen of Naples – Caroline Bonaparte, as she loved jewellery. The first digital hearing aid was born in the 1980 and the real beginning of many of the wearables available in the market today also started then onwards.
The shift and today’s trend about smart wearables are about four key elements – uniqueness because who is not unique today in their own way, newness because change is the only constant, multi-utility because the generation today are all multi-taskers and style because we all love to flaunt our possession. On the top, wearable technology is no longer confined to science fiction movies, and has gained real mainstream momentum and we all want to own one.
Smart wearables are a vogue today and the maximum attraction is being claimed by smartwatches and earphones, while other categories are evolving and the future is beyond imagination. Watches and bands not only show time, but to take calls, monitor sleep, heart rate, SpO2, body temperature, track health, remind you to stretch, drink water, show weather and so much more. The tangle-free and compact earbuds are the best companion for listening to music, playing games, watching content on smartphones and even taking calls at the convenience of the users. There are sunglasses as well available that can take calls and play music for the users.
Smart wearables market is there to grow multi-fold in the times to come, on the background of increasing development in 5G and AIoT innovation followed by massification of the technology. Understanding how a tiny little gadget can affect and complement our lifestyle and how it has now become an indispensable part of our daily routine is very fascinating.
According to International Data Corporation’s (IDC), 23.9 million wearable devices were shipped in 2Q22, growing by 113% year-over-year (YoY). Watch-based wearables continued to be the fastest-growing category shipping 6.4 million units; a growth of 298.4% YoY, resulting from affordability of these products and maximum push being at the entry-level price points.
Smartwatches have gained massive popularity recently and are expected to surpass smartphone demand this festive season. The market is equally focussed on fulfilling the consumer demand. Existing brands are launching more and more products in their portfolio. New entrants are coming up every now and then with their unique and differentiated offerings.
Along with smartwatches, earphones are massively dominating the Indian wearable markets. These smart earphones now come with capabilities like noise cancellation, dedicated game mode, bass boosting algorithms, touch-based controls, voice commands, real-time language translation, waterproof designs, etc. and this is just the start of this new technological disruption with much futuristic tech on their way.
Looking at the growth and development pace of this market, we all should expect the unimaginable to come soon enough. However, technology and multi-utility is not the way to go about it for the brands. An equal importance must be given to the beauty of the products. Afterall, we are all going to carry them around and flaunt it to everyone.
We often dress up as per our mood, choosing an outfit of the day. The colours we go for or the style we carry is all about what’s going on in our head while dressing up or the occasion we are going to – whether it is a party or a trip or casual meet up with friends. It is a way of portraying our emotions and personality. Since, the wearables play a significant role in our lives, in addition to their internal capabilities, smart wearables outward qualities, such as their aesthetic appeal, are important in the market. Given how these wearables seem, the design has to have a sophisticated and opulent appearance that complements us as an individual. The colour scheme employed to create these wearables must be intended to match the energy of the user.
Apart from these factors, most of the consumers expect affordable smart wearables. Why? Because they want to own choices. The majority of the users are either employed persons or college students who want to buy not just one smartwatch or an earphone, but own a collection of them. Tomorrow, there is an evening gala to attend, the smartwatch must look classy enough. The next day, they meet up with their cool friends, the smartwatch has to be cool, complementing the attire. That’s how the youth of today roll, right?
Even though smart wearable technologies are advanced and offer a wide range of options, there are still more to come. Imagine a video camera on the smartwatch to take pictures and do video calls. Even more, the eyeglasses have a screen for the video calling purposes. Or let us think, a smartwatch that can replace your smartphone. We can only eagerly wait and watch for what’s next to come.