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RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS

Wearables as shopping companion or

eCommerce tool at your wrist

The shopping season and 2015 wind down, making it just planning to buy a wearable would like to use their
clear that marketing is now omnichannel as customers device for mobile shopping applications as well, ac-
are hyper-connected. The challenge marketers have to cording to a study of online market research institute
juggle in 2016 is therefore to provide a true omnichan- Fittkau & Maaß Consulting. Internet users seem to see
nel experience by harnessing data, automation and an- an added value in the amalgamation of devices with
alytics to deliver contextual, compelling experiences eCommerce solutions and the technological precondi-
across all communication channels. tions are already given.

New digital innovations even set the bar higher and the The study also shows that especially the use as a con-
opportunity to integrate omnichannel initiatives will be stantly present navigation instrument appeared to be
more interconnected in 2016 due to the rise of weara- most attractive to most interviewees and roughly half of
bles as eCommerce companions and tools. them would like to use wearables for getting weather
and traffic information or to read email, SMS or
In the future, we won’t continue to carry our communi- WhatsApp messages on the go. One in five can even
cation and transaction devices in the purse or pocket, already imagine receiving information about special
but directly on the body, experts unanimously agree. offers on wearables, and the number is even substan-
The so-called ‘wearables’ - in the form of smartwatch, tially higher with smartwatch owners.
fitness bracelet and smart glasses - represent a first
step in this direction and already rank among the Growth potential of eCommerce with wearables in
growth bringers in the industry. Asia Pacific

Ideal conditions to use wearables in the future to The spread of wearables in Asia Pacific is currently still
promote sales relatively low compared to smartphones and tablets,
but the future has definitely begun and is unstoppable.
Owners of wearables have a strong interest in placing According to eMarketer, the retail eCommerce sales in
orders or make bookings on the go with their smart- Asia Pacific is expected to hit $877.61 billion in 2015,
watches or smart glasses, and half of those who are up 35.7% from 2014, and for the first time, the region
20 Asian eMarketing - December 2015 Omnichannel Marketing
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