As the industry gathers apace, wearable technology will come to represent a new form of power dressing for business leaders next year, in the same way that shoulder pads dominated 1980s wardrobes.
That is the view of South Korean technology giant and
smartwatch producer Samsung, which has forecast five top trends for 2015, with wearables featuring prominently.
Health and fitness is driving the boom in wearable technology, and Samsung expects products such as smartwatches and fitness trackers will increasingly become a must-have item for those wanting to make an impression. The firm’s research found that 47 per cent of wearable technology users felt more intelligent when using their gadgets, while 61 per cent of users claimed that their personal efficiency improved.
There have been
numerous studies backing the adage that a fit body leads to a fit mind and the wellness focus of many wearables, combined with the perception that they lead to better professional performance – 37 per cent of users stated wearable technology helped with career development – seems to be driving popularity of the devices, particularly among business leaders.
“People are generally more conscious of their health and wellness, and coupled with a rise in devices to monitor health, are increasingly taking a more ‘hands-on’ informed approach when it comes to keeping fit and staying healthy,” said head of innovation at Samsung Europe Lysa Clavenna.
“This trend is only set to continue, driving the market for wellness apps and devices. Monitoring personal productivity, and having a clear understanding of when their body works best and when they need to rest, will soon become the norm for many people.”
Samsung predicts the increased focus on wellness and growing number of apps enabling us to measure our body’s needs – such as exercise, nutrition and sleep – will lead people to restructure their working lives around personal “power hours.’’ The company predicts that increasingly people will have a data-driven understanding of when they are most productive, which will help people to structure their working time around the most productive hours of the day.
Wearable devices are predicted to dominate Christmas stockings this year. Samsung estimates the value of the market in the UK alone will hit £313.6m by the end of 2014, with total Christmas sales expected to rise by 182 per cent compared to 2013, with more than one million units set to be sold.
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