As per IDC, the wearable market in India clocked just over 400,000 units in the first quarter of 2016.
As per IDC Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker, the market was largely driven by fitness bands with 87.7 percent market share whereas smart wearables, defined as any wearable that can run third-party applications, contributed to around 12.3 percent.
In terms of units, Xiaomi and GOQii together contributed over 45 percent share, however Fitbit had maximum market value share. The smart wearables have not yet gained enough ground because of the higher price attached to them.”
The online channel was the most preferred means for majority of the vendors. However, a shift towards retail is also being observed as customers are looking to physically feel and test out the product. Fitbit and Apple are the only two brands that are widely present in physical stores; the other brands have either limited or no offline presence.
India’s Top Wearable Brands
Xiaomi: Xiaomi was the top vendor this quarter with the continuing success of its affordable fitness tracker Mi Band. The brand has leveraged its success in the smartphone category into high recall in the wearables space as well. This has helped it in gaining 27.1 percent market share in Q1 2016.
GOQii: The Indian vendor was another bright star of the quarter. GOQii provides access to a personal trainer along with every band. This unique service helped GOQii achieve second position in the market, with 18.1 percent market share. The brand is affordable and has a relatively higher share in the commercial segment.
Fitbit: Fitbit clinched the third spot in the market, with 6.2 percent market share in terms of units. However, the brand leads in terms of market value share, currently over 10 percent more than its closest competitor. Leading the market globally, Fitbit’s relatively higher prices have impacted the unit share in India market.
Samsung: While the first three spots were taken by basic wearable brands, the success of Gear S2 helped Samsung become the most successful smart wearable brand this quarter. The vendor stood fourth overall with 2.5 percent market share and first in the smart wearable category, with a 20.4 percent market share. The smartwatch comes with Samsung’s own Tizen OS and has been one of the most popular products in the category.
Motorola: Motorola was another smart wearable vendor to grab a position in the top 5 bracket. The second-generation device from Moto 360 had been as popular as its predecessor and helped Motorola attain 1.4 percent market share. Powered by Android Wear, the vendor was second in the smart wearable category, with over 11.5 percent market share.
