Consumer Survey Reveals Accuracy as Top Priority for Wearables

The State of Wearables Today
Consumer Survey Results
June 2016

©2016 Valencell. Inc
Contents
• Survey Overview
• Survey Demographics
• Executive Summary
• Detailed Findings
2

The 2016 “The State of Wearables Today” Survey was conducted by
Valencell in collaboration with MEMS & Sensors Industry Group from May 27
– June 7, 2016. The online survey polled 706 U.S. consumers, ages 18-65, on
their knowledge and preferences around wearable technology devices.
About this survey
3

Survey demographics
• 706 respondents/completed surveys
• 407 male
• 299 female
• Respondents between 18 – 65 years old
• 18 – 29: 25%
• 30 – 49: 49%
• 50 – 65: 25%
• Range of U.S. regions; range of income levels
4

Accuracy trumps cost as a barrier to wearable
ownership
• Nearly half of all respondents own or have owned a wearable device, with the most
popular form factors being wristbands, earbuds and smart watches. Among notable
findings:
• 42% of survey respondents own or have owned a wearable
• 52% own a wristband, 36% earbuds and 32% a smart watch
• 42% purchased the wearable to track overall activity and 28% purchased to
manage weight
• Of those who do not own a wearable, 30% do not own because they are too
expensive and 28% do not own because they are not sure of the benefit of
wearables; 58% would consider buying if they trusted the accuracy
6

• Wearable owners like to check on progress, and many feel that the wearable has
helped improve their performance. Consumers would also like to be able to monitor
additional health conditions and metrics.
• 35% of wearable owners feel step counting is the most useful function; 18% find heart
rate monitoring most useful; and 12% find the notifications most useful
• When asked what type of condition they would like to monitor beyond what they are
doing now:
• 55% would like to monitor stress
• 48% would like to monitor hydration
• 46% would like to monitor blood pressure
• 38% would like to monitor sunlight/UV exposure
• 35% would like to monitor key vitamin and supplement levels
Consumers want advanced biometrics
7

Consumers use wearables to track progress and
performance
• When asked what they like most about their wearable:
• 62% like getting data and checking on progress
• 29% like that their wearable has helped improve their performance
• 27% like the accuracy of the data
8

Accuracy is key to valuable health insights
• 63% of all respondents ranked accuracy as a very important wearable feature,
followed by comfort (57%) and battery life (47%)
• 73% of all respondents believe that accuracy in wearable technology will one day be
able to directly affect your health
• 80% of wearables owners feel that their wearable has positively impacted their health
• More than 65% of respondents who do not own wearables would consider using one if
it provided significant information on their health, including things like blood pressure,
stress, and heart health
• 74% of respondents who do not own wearables would consider using one if accuracy
in wearables was able to help them better manage their health
9

Recharge hassles, poor accuracy and comfort,
and a lack of interesting insights cause wearables
to end up in the sock drawer
• More than 80% have owned their wearable for more than six months
• 56% wear their wearable everyday; 13% wear it once a week
• 37% have discontinued the use of their wearable
• 54% stopped using their wearable within 3 months or less
• Top reasons for discontinuing use of a wearable:
• 40% Too much of a hassle to continually recharge
• 29% Not accurate enough (didn't trust the readings)
• 26% Uncomfortable to wear
• 24% Did not continually provide interesting insights
10

Survey Findings
All Respondents

Do you currently, or have you ever, owned a
wearable technology device?
Nearly half of consumers
surveyed own a wearable
device.
Wearable device defined as: a
device, clothing and/or
accessories incorporating
computer and advanced
electronic technologies.
12

Please rate the following in regards to wearable
devices; 1 = not important and 5 = very important
Accuracy, comfort, and length of battery charge are key priorities among all
survey respondents
13

How important is accuracy to you when it comes
to wearable devices; 1 = not important and
5 = very important
More than 63% of
all respondents
rated accuracy as
very important
14

Do you feel that accuracy in wearable technology
will one day be able to directly affect your health?
73% of survey respondents
feel that wearable accuracy
will one day impact health
15

Survey Findings
Consumers who own a wearable

If yes, what kind of wearable device do you own?
Wristbands, earbuds and smart watches are most common wearables owned
17

What functionality does your wearable include?
Step counting, heart rate
monitor, sleep tracking and
calorie counting are
common functions for
wearables
18

If you had to choose one, what is the most useful
functionality of your wearable device?
Step counting, heart rate
monitor, and notifications
are most useful functions
among wearable owners
19

Why did you originally purchase the wearable?
• Tracking overall activity
and managing weight are
most poplar reasons
consumers purchased
wearables
• 31% were given a
wearable as a gift
20

What type of condition would you like to monitor
beyond what you are doing now?
Consumers would like to monitor advanced biometrics including stress,
hydration and blood pressure
21

How long have you owned your wearable device?
Most consumers have
owned their wearable for
more than 6 months
22

How often do you wear/use your wearable?
More than half of respondents use their wearable every day
23

Since purchasing your wearable, have you
discontinued using it?
More than 37% of
wearables owners have
discontinued using the
wearable
24

If yes, why did you discontinue the use of your
wearable?
Recharging hassles, lack
of accuracy, and lack of
comfort were top
reasons that wearable
owners discontinued use
25

How long after purchasing your wearable did you
stop using it?
Nearly a third of wearable
owners discontinued use of
their device after only a
few weeks
26

What do you most like about your wearable?
Most people like getting
the data and checking on
progress the most of all
features; nearly 30% feel
it has helped improve
performance
27

Please rate the following in regards to wearable
devices; 1 = not important and 5 = very important
Accuracy, comfort,
and length of battery
charge are key
priorities among
wearable owners
28

to wearable devices; 1 = not important and 5 =
very important
Nearly 69% of
wearable owners
rated accuracy as
very important
29

Do you feel that your wearable device has an
overall positive impact on your health?
Nearly 80% of
wearable users feel
that their wearable has
positively impacted
their health
30

Nearly 90% of all wearable
owners feel that wearable
accuracy will one day
impact health
31

Have you ever visited a doctor based on the data
you’ve received from your wearable device?
While most wearable owners have not
visited a doctor due to data from their
wearable…
…for those who have, in most
cases the doctor agreed that they
should have come in
32

Would you prefer a wearable that you could wear:
Most consumers want
a wearable they can
wear day and night,
but a significant
number would rather
a wearable focused
on exercise use only.
33

Survey Findings
Consumers who do not own a wearable

If you do not own a wearable, why is that?
Cost is the main barrier to wearable ownership; some are not sure of benefits
35

Is there any type of wearable that you might
consider buying?
Nearly half of all
respondents who do not
own wearables might
consider buying one
36

If yes, are you considering buying a wearable in
the next:
75% of those
considering a
wearable purchase
intend to purchase in
the next year
37

What functionality is missing from the wearables
on the market today that would get you to buy a
wearable if it was available?
• Phone
• Monitor
• Accuracy
• Good battery life
• Blood pressure
• Full weatherability
• Security features
• Health recommendations
• Affordability
• Comfort
• GPS
• Syncing with other devices
• Stress monitor
• Ease of use
• Responses included:
38

Do any of your friends or family members own
wearables?
More than half of non-
owners have friends or
family who own a wearable
39

If yes, are they satisfied with them?
More than half of known friends and family wearable owners are satisfied
40

If you trusted the accuracy of a wearable, would
you consider using one?
More than half of non-owners would consider purchasing a wearable if they
trusted the accuracy
41

If wearables provided significant information on
your health, including things like blood pressure,
stress, and heart health, would you consider using
one?
More than half of non-
owners would consider
purchasing a wearable that
provided advanced health
insights
42

If accuracy in wearables was able to help you
better manage your health, how likely would you
be to use one regularly?
Nearly 75% would purchase if wearables could help better manage health
43

If you were to buy a wearable, please rate the
importance of the following criteria; 1= not
important and 5 = very important:
Accuracy, comfort and
battery charge are top
priorities for non-owners
44

to wearable devices? 1= not important and 5 =
very important:
Accuracy ranks as “very important” among non-owners
45

More than 60% of all non-
owners feel that wearable
accuracy will one day
impact health
46

If wearables were so accurate that they could help
manage your health by only wearing them one
hour a day, at your convenience, how likely would
you be to use one?
Non-owners would consider
using a wearable if they
only had to wear it for one
hour per day
47

About the Survey Sponsors
About Valencell
Valencell develops performance biometric sensor technology and provides this patent-protected technology to consumer
electronics manufacturers, mobile device and accessory makers, sports and fitness brands and gaming companies for
integration into their products. Valencell's PerformTek® biometric sensor technology employs active signal characterization,
the process of segmenting raw signal data from biometric sensors into biological, motion, and environmental signals and
noise. Valencell's inventions are currently found in wrist-, arm-, and ear-worn wearables and hearables. Valencell has invested
years into the research and development of its PerformTek sensor technology, protected by dozens of granted patents and
independently validated by the Duke Center for Living, North Carolina State University, the Human Performance Laboratory
and a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. For more information, visit www.valencell.com.
About MEMS & Sensor Industry Group
MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) is the trade association advancing MEMS and sensors across global markets. MSIG
advocates for near-term commercialization of MEMS/sensors-based products through a wide range of activities, such as
conferences, technical working groups and education. By bringing the TSensors® (Trillion Sensors) Enterprise under the
umbrella of events and programs, MSIG also increases worldwide awareness of emerging MEMS/sensors-based applications
with huge commercialization potential in the next decade and beyond.
Nearly 200 companies and industry partners comprise MEMS & Sensors Industry Group, including Analog Devices, ARM,
Bosch, Cirrus Logic, EV Group, GE, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, HP, HTC Corporation, Huawei, Infineon, Intel, InvenSense, Kionix,
Knowles Corporation, Lam Research, Lenovo, NXP, OMRON Electronic Components, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., SONY
Electronics, SPTS Technologies, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and TSMC. For more information, visit:
www.memsindustrygroup.org and follow MSIG on LinkedIn and Twitter (use @MEMSGroup).
48

Consumer Survey Reveals Accuracy as Top Priority for Wearables

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