Given Samsung’s dominance of the nascent global smartmwatch market, it should come as no surprise that it dominates the U.S. market as well. Nearly half a million smartwatches have been sold in the U.S. since October 2013 with Samsung and Pebble the clear U.S. smartwatch sales leaders according to market research firm NPD.
Revenues for the U.S. smartwatch market hit US$96 million over that time period. Samsung captured 78% or just under US$75 million of that with Pebble accounting for a further 18% or just over US$17 million.That left a meager 4% for other players to fight over. But the future remains bright as smartwatch adoption is expected to climb, especially with the imminent launch of the first Android Wear smartwatches and the Apple iWatch.
“The smartwatch market is poised to continue to grow in 2014” said Ben Arnold, executive director of industry analysis at NPD. “With nearly $100 million in US sales in less than a year, the category is off to a promising start with just two major brands.”
NPD also found that about 20% of consumers are interested in purchasing a smartwatch. That number is higher among younger consumers and as high as 30% among 16 to 24 year olds. But adoption may depend largely on price as cost is identified as the key barrier to adoption.
The average selling price of smartwatches is still fluctuating a lot. From a high of US$257, it now stands at US$189. Upcoming devices like the LG G Watch which could sell around that price could help push that price lower.
Source : NPD