Dive Brief:
- An Argus Insights report said demand for wearable devices, such as fitness bands, smartwatches, and other sensor-enabled devices, peaked in January and dropped dramatically over the first half of 2015.
- The report compiled 328,000 consumer reviews from January 2014 to June 2015, showing demand for such devices was four times higher than in 2013.
- The Apple Watch launch in September caused a dip in wearables and FitBit, but according to the report, after more information about the Watch was available, consumers returned to FitBit.
Dive Insight:
"Our analysis of review volume for the wearables market correlates directly with unit sales volume, and we have seen a significant slowing in consumer demand for both wearables in general and fitness bands in particular," John Feland, Argus Insights CEO, said. He added that consumers expect wearables to do more than count steps and FitBit and other wearables "will need to add more to their offerings to keep consumers engaged and coming back for more."
A recent Frost & Sullivan reported, noted in HealthcareDive, said wearable devices will play a big part in healthcare by delivering improved healthcare services via real-time, remote patient monitoring and post-surgery rehabilitation.