Fashion Or Functionality? Consumers Try To Make Sense Of Wearable Technology

Wearable technology is starting to focus a bit more on style, as well. For example, OMSignal offers fun smart sports bra patterns and color options, while Samsung’s recent wearable technology prototypes include a belt that lets you know when you’re gaining weight (ouch!) and a golf shirt that tracks swings. They provide the tech, but they don’t look like tech. Again, shoppers may find themselves in confusing territory: “Am I wearing a fitness garment or fashionable streetwear?”  

Accenture’s Digital Consumer Tech Survey canvassed people in six countries to assess consumers’ receptivity to wearable technology. More than half of the people surveyed (52%) were interested in buying devices like fitness monitors to track physical activity and manage personal health. They’re also interested in smartwatches (46%) and internet-connected glasses. A U.S. survey found that 25% would wear sensors on their wrists, or clipped to their clothes. And some went further still. A full 15% said they’d embed technology into their clothing, while 4% would wear smart contact lenses, and 3% would even have sensors tattooed onto their skin – but only if they thought they’d see enough benefits from doing so.  

An important challenge for marketers of wearable technology is that the repurposing of everyday products makes it difficult to differentiate and position these devices. Wearables that serve mainly one purpose, such as an activity tracking device, have different design and positioning needs than those that offer multiple functions, like a smartwatch. Does a Tory Burch Fitbit Flex belong in the activity trackers section of a store or website, or should it be nestled among other attractive bracelets in the jewelry department?  Merchandisers haven’t quite figured that out yet.

 A 2016 IDC survey found that Americans who planned to buy a wearable in the following six months said retailers needed to put a major focus on aesthetics rather than just technical features. One analyst commented that vendors “…have not yet cracked the code to deliver something that is both functional and fashionable. Companies clearly need to focus on the aesthetics of their product – perhaps more so than the features.”  

The forecast is mostly sunny for the emerging wearable technology market – but vendors need to pay close attention to a few storm clouds that lurk on the horizon:

• If the wearable technology product is visible to observers, shoppers are likely to think about it as a piece of jewelry. More attention to aesthetics might make users more prone to forgiveness if the technology doesn’t perform as well as they expect.

• Companies can adjust promotional materials and retail settings to the growing needs for wearable technology and emphasize how compatible the item will be with the user’s daily routines, such as exercising. For example, Lord and Taylor partnered with Bobbi Brown to open the JustBobbi concept store within the department store that offers a variety of wellness and beauty products as well as apparel and accessories. This concept is somewhat similar to IKEA’s practice of displaying multiple categories of merchandise to create a fully furnished room.

• Luxury and non/luxury customers have different needs when they evaluate wearable technology. Luxury shoppers want exclusivity and “snob appeal.”  Others are more likely to value stylistic currency and versatility, such as the ability to change colors and designs to coordinate with wardrobe choices.

• Multifunctional wearables can build on the idea that the user actually has “multiple selves” and different parts of her life demand different functionality as she moves from the office to the yoga studio to the kitchen.

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