Wearables & Tracking: Getting Serious

Not another column about wearables, you might be thinking. Some distribution channels might perceive that ‘It’s peaked for us,’ or ‘There’s limited opportunity,’ or ‘People buy the stuff, only to put it away after a few weeks,’ and so on. Until recently, wearables have been associated with low-tech trackers, and other gizmos and gadgets – but change is in the air – as the market moves beyond the novelty phase.

Big innovation trends like IoT, AR/VR, AI, low-power wireless technologies, nano-technologies and smart textiles are reshaping the wearables market for the next chapter in its evolution. These technologies are unleashing a new era for digital wearables across sectors including fashion, entertainment, fitness, sports performance, and enterprise and productivity, as well as healthcare. Do we need to change our way of looking at wearables?