What you wear may say a lot about you. But as technology progresses, such externals will also speak volumes about thousands of brands. Credit the growing prevalence of digital wearables such as the ubiquitous Apple Watch and jazzy Fitbit collection. Increasingly, such devices are evolving into compact message centers – mini display screens flashing brand marketing info round the clock. Retailers are especially keen to capitalize on wrist-centric marketing.
One glance at recent stats confirms the viability of wearable technology. As reported by Technavio, a global marketing research firm, the wearable electronics markets will expand by $35.67 billion between 2019-2013. That’s a whole lotta busy wrists.
Skeptics may deem wearables impractical. After all, who wants to scan content from a space barely spanning an inch?
But that’s not the point as brand retailers see it. What really gives wearables an edge is their ‘in the moment’ reach. Brands can ping wearers with updates about in-store sales, local discounts, just-arrived goodies, special events, whatever – in an instant. There’s no getting away from a prominent flash on your wearable screen. The info source is right there in the open and connected to your beautiful outer self.
This immediacy gives wearables a hefty advantage over smartphones. The latter often are crammed into pockets and purses, rendering messages unseen until owners choose to peek. Wearables, on the other hand, give marketers total control over content delivery. Proud wearers will know about your mega sales event, like it or not.
And besides, you can make and receive phone calls with an Apple Watch. Few people are willing to strap iPhones to their wrists.
Along with the advantages of in the moment marketing, brands are discovering the personalization possibilities of wearables. For example, Domino’s Pizza has launched a smart watch app called Domino’s Tracker. The app updates wearers about the progress of their orders. Nothing the world needs more than a pepperoni status report.
Many technology stalwarts are diving into the wearable waters. This past November, for instance, Google entered into an agreement to acquire Fitbit. Given the ‘Big G’s’ penchant for technological innovation, it’s easy to envision major changes for the device. Wait and see. Before long, Fitbit will be doing considerably more than counting calories and tracking running pace.
If you have any questions or comments about wearable technology or any other brand-related topic, feel free to send them our way.