Health and wellness use cases continue to lead wearables adoption 

Parks Associates’ consumer research Wearables: Advances in Health and Safety finds that health and wellness use cases continue to drive adoption of wearables such as smart watches and smart rings. Currently, nearly 50% of US internet households own and use a wearable, with 70% using their wrist wearables for health and wellness reasons. Further, nearly one-third of households with a wearable report purchasing or subscribing to a premium app such as Apple Fitness+ or a service such as cellular data for calls and messaging, streaming music, or location tracking. 

This research evaluates the current scope of the wearables market and new advances in tech to promote health and personal safety. It addresses key questions, including how consumers are evaluating new features and available add-ons, such as fitness subscriptions and cellular connectivity.

“Wearables adoption in the US market is following the pattern laid out by smartphones, coalescing around two major platforms — Apple and Google’s Wear OS — with Garmin a notable third,” said Kristen Hanich, Research Director, Parks Associates. “The most common attached service is cellular connectivity/data plans, over half of which include on-the-go voice calls and messaging. This market remains open for a variety of software and services players.”

Wearables owners with paid apps and services report higher levels of satisfaction than those who have just the device, and they are more willing to recommend products to their friends and family. Fitness and lifestyle subscriptions are likewise associated with high rates of satisfaction for both smart watch and GPS sports watch owners. Fitness tracker satisfaction is highest among those with health coaching services but markedly lower among those with fitness and lifestyle subscriptions. Nonetheless, all tested subscriptions are associated with increased satisfaction among wearables adopters.

“Additional services enhance the value of wearable devices to consumers, raising satisfaction and introducing new revenue opportunities to companies,” Hanich said. “Wearables companies need to focus marketing strategies on the diverse applications of wearables, highlighting first health and wellness features but also emphasizing the increasingly versatile, non-fitness functionalities.”

Parks Associates will host Smart Spaces: Apartments, Hospitality, and Community Living on September 24-25 at the Renaissance Dallas Richardson Hotel. This conference features the session “The Golden Years: Technology in Senior Communities,” which examines the impact of IoT technologies on senior lifestyles, safety, and health, with executives from Care Daily, LifeLoop, and Toi Labs.

To schedule an interview with an analyst or to request specific data or a Smart Spaces press pass, please contact Mindi Sue Sternblitz-Rubenstein at mindi.sue@parksassociates.com or 972-490-1113. 

About Parks Associates

Parks Associates is a global research, consulting, and marketing firm with 40 years of experience delivering proprietary consumer data and industry insights for businesses. The firm produces market research reports, forecasts, surveys, and competitive business intelligence on connected consumer, small business, and commercial technologies and related business solutions. A woman-owned and woman-led company, Parks Associates is a trusted partner and advisor to executives, providing custom research, strategic consulting, and forward-looking analysis across smart home, small business, and commercial markets, including security, broadband, entertainment, energy, multifamily, smart buildings, connected health, and emerging AI-driven technologies.

Parks Associates supports industry growth through proprietary research, consulting, and executive networking and convenes thousands of leaders each year through its flagship conferences, including CONNECTIONS™, Connected Health Summit, Smart Energy Summit, Smart Spaces, and Future of Video. Learn more at https://www.parksassociates.com.

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