Page 33 - The EDIT | Q3 2017

While 55% of wearables sold in Asia are fitness trackers and 17% are smartwatches, a stunning 24% are locators. Over 10 million of these ‘location trackers’ were sold in China in 2016, with the five leading brands being all local brands.
Discovery
India – it is still early days
IDC India, the global provider of market intelligence for telco & consumer technology states that 612,000 wearable devices were shipped in India in the first quarter of 2017. While there is no data available
yet for Q2 2017, IDC expects ongoing double-digit growth throughout 2017.
Low-cost entry-level wearables which have sporting basic features are most popular as 90% of the devices shipped in 2017 so far were entry-level devices. When looking at the value of these devices, we see that most of the traction is happening in the entry-level segment which includes wearables below $50 (approximately INR 3,200). The entry-level segment accounts for 79% of all wearables shipped in India in Q1 2017.
“In addition to the low entry price of basic wearables, consumers are now getting better value from these devices as the category now o ers advanced features. Features such as heart rate, sleep monitor and among others are soon becoming the must-have features in basic wearables, even in entry level segments.”
[Celso Gomes, IDC India]
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In China, local governments and schools have pushed these products to monitor children’s’ location during playtime, school excursions, etc. — and parents buying them. These children trackers come in the form of wristbands that use a 3G SIM to communicate the geolocation of the wearer to a parent. One of the reasons why kids’ location trackers are popular in China might be because of the one child policy causing a stronger demand for these products than in any other countries.
Some devices also allow parents to send reminders and gamify chores. Pet trackers are also becoming big in China and Hong Kong, to monitor activity levels and food intake.
THE EDIT ISSUE 7 | Q3 2017