Tag: wearable tech

A new global survey has found that the vast majority of air travelers are tech-savvy.

The survey, which was conducted jointly by Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques (SITA) and Air Transport World, revealed that while almost all of the surveyed passengers use some form of mobile technology when travelling, 77 percent of the 6,277 passengers surveyed would be content using wearables such as smartwatches and smart glasses to make their journey more interesting or to help them during their travels.

The survey focused on consumers travelling through the 30 top airports across the globe.

The global survey carried out by the aviation communication and IT firm based in Geneva and the aviation journal, showed that nearly every passenger (97 percent) had a smartphone, tablet or laptop with them when they flew and that one in five passengers surveyed travelled with all three of these devices. This finding alone highlighted the increasing importance of passengers who are tech-savvy.

Passengers want to be able to use mobile technology at every point of their journey.

The survey also learned that air travelers want to stay connected at each part of their journey. The study found that 76 percent of respondents utilized airline apps and that of this same group, 43 percent said that the apps made a distinct improvement when planning their travels and during their travel experience.

In addition, 54 percent of participants wanted there to be a greater investment in technology to assist them in comparing airline fares. Furthermore, 52 percent wanted in-flight wireless service and improved real-time flight information. Also, the survey revealed that 57 percent would like airport directions and maps and 53 percent wanted personalized alerts sent directly to their phones to notify them about any delays.

The survey clearly reveals that mobile technology is important to air travelers. According to Francesco Violante, the CEO of SITA, passengers who are tech-savvy “expect more personalised apps and services consistently delivered on the web, to their phone or tablet. New technologies like smart watches and glasses have now become commonplace and “they present a great opportunity for airlines and airports to engage directly with their passengers to provide efficient services throughout the journey.”

Demand continues to rise for wearables and it appears to be reaching every corner of the world.

The wearable technology fad has not only been making its way through developed markets, but it is also spreading through developing nations, as well, such as in the largest economy of Africa, Nigeria.

Phone manufacturers in that company are currently pushing a range of different wearables to boost their revenues.

These companies are focusing on their promotions of items that range from smartwatches to smart glasses as well as fitness bands and other electronic accessories. The hope is to increase revenues as well as to take hold of a larger market share. Followers of the market feel that demand is rising as smartphone penetration reaches an uppermost point and as the integration of wearable technology gadgets with those mobile devices boosts their functionality.

The enhanced experience has allowed the demand for wearable technology to experience a considerable growth.

Figures from Technology Distributors (TD) show that more than 10 million smart devices that come to a value of more than $1 billion were sold in Nigeria last year, alone. That said, market followers have feel that the upcoming wave of devices to be sold within the mobile industry is likely to be within the wearables category.

Research firm Deliotte forecasted that fitness bands, smartwatches, and smart glasses would break the $3 billion mark this year, after having sold approximately 10 million units. Some of the giants within this industry, such as Samsung, Google, Sony, Huawei, and Nokia – the top sellers in Nigeria – have already started to reap the benefits of this considerable potential in revenue. Many of these companies have been sending an increasing number of wearable tech devices into Nigeria.

However, they are not alone. Smaller boutique manufacturers have also been hoping to carve out their own little slices of the pie as they step into this space and aim to obtain a healthy portion of the market share, bringing in greater revenues.

The wearable technology category of mobile as a whole has the potential to bring about considerable changes to the global tech industry. It will be an important sector to watch in terms of trends and direction over coming months and years.