Nearly 70 per cent of respondents in a China smartwatch market survey plan to buy the technology in the next 12 months.
ABI Research, which did the survey, says the heightened demand is the result of a wide range of choices from manufacturers in China that offer affordable pricing, good design and comprehensive features.
Also, some of the region’s richest consumers consider branded smartwatches, such as the Apple Watch, as status symbols.
“Chinese consumers are most interested in smartwatches that are not cumbersome but comfortable to wear, and that clearly display phone-call alerts and caller ID,” ABI Research senior analyst Marina Lu.
According to the survey, most consumers believe a trendy appearance to be far more important than any voice or audio capabilities.
“Moving forward, ABI Research still believes voice interaction will emerge as a trend, because integrating voice capabilities into a smaller screen could help fit more features in a smaller, fashionable package.”
Smart payment is also an important feature, the survey shows.
In China, Alibaba’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat dominate the mobile-payment services market, holding a 48 and 20 per cent share respectively.
However, pricing structure is where the smartwatch market could see divergence. While 42 per cent of survey respondents would spend between US$150 and $310 on a smartwatch, 36 per cent believe a reasonable price to be less than $150, while 22 per cent are likely to spend more than $310.
ABI Research finds China’s average selling price for smartwatches to be around $166 this year, hitting the market at a sweet spot. “It is likely some consumers will gladly pay a higher price for a reputable and customised smartwatch, but most will probably choose the cheaper options,” says Lu.