Global wearables shipments grow 67.2% in January-March

Global shipments of wearables like fitness trackers and smartwatches grew by 67.2 per cent to 19.7 million units in the first quarter of 2016, impacted by more products hitting the market and price reductions, says a report. 

Around 11.8 million units were shipped in the same quarter of last year, the report by research firm IDC said. “A combination of device releases, price reductions, and company rationalisations marked the first quarter of 2016 (1Q16) in the worldwide wearables market,” it said. The quarter saw its fair share of significant events to entice customers like post-holiday price reductions on multiple wearables, including Apple’s Sport Watch and greater participation within emerging wearables categories, particularly clothing and footwear, it added. “The good news is that the wearables market continues to mature and expand. The wearables that we see today are several steps ahead of what we saw when this market began, increasingly taking their cues from form, function, and fashion,” IDC research manager Wearables Ramon Llamas said. The downside is that it is becoming a crowded market, and not everyone is guaranteed success, Llamas added.