The appeal of smartwatches appears to be growing in China, where 67% of respondents to a recent survey have indicated their intent to purchase a smartwatch within the next 12 months.
This product category’s popularity looks to be growing thanks to the wide choice of devices, not to mention the affordable prices and pleasing design and features. Furthermore, some of China’s wealthiest consumers see branded smartwatches like the Apple Watch as a “desired status symbol”.
Marina Lu, a Senior Analyst whose company, ABI Research, conducted the survey, predicted: “The manufacturers who are going to be most successful in this increasingly crowded and competitive landscape are those that focus on designing visually pleasing, easy-to-use interfaces.”
ABI Research has also speculated that smartwatches with mobile payment functionality will reach high popularity during the next few years. This suggests another exciting opportunity for the Apple Watch, which is compatible with the mobile payments service Apple Pay launched in China earlier this year.
