Internet of Things & Wearable Technology Insights

As more consumers carry mobile devices wherever they go, high-tech brand manufacturers recently put wearable technology front and center during CES in Las Vegas and at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Seventy percent of consumers are already aware of “wearables,” and about one in six (15%) of them currently use wearable tech—such as smart watches and fitness bands—in their daily lives. With experts predicting wearable tech to be the next big thing in consumer electronics, Nielsen asked consumers about the kinds of gadgets they would wear in the new Connected Life Report.

To understand the appeal of wearable tech, who better to turn to than those who are already using these devices. The majority of wearables owners are young, with nearly half (48%) between 18-34 years old, and men and women are equally likely to don wearable tech. Perhaps not surprisingly, three-quarters of wearables owners consider themselves “early adopters” of technology (while only 25% consider themselves “mainstream”). And to support their love of the latest devices, these digital trendsetters typically have more disposable income, with 29 percent making over $100,000. Among wearable tech owners, fitness bands were the most popular devices (61%), followed by smart watches (45%) and mHealth (mobile health) devices (17%).