The arrival of wearable technology has marked a completely new era.

The industry has evolved to a point where we can create devices that can be our sports coach, doctor, and even personal assistant, enabling us to explore our potential by giving us valuable insights about our lifestyle.

A forecast suggests that the wearable tech market will clock in at over $34 billion by 2020.

There’s more to the wearable industry than meets the eye

Today’s wearable industry seems limited to smart watches and fitness bands - but this won’t be the case as we move into the future.

One of the upcoming trends is smart clothes, the kind that heat up when your body feels cold, track which muscles are working the hardest and let you use your smartphone to pay for products and services. Smart jewellery promises to add to an outfit as well as track daily life activities that are measurable and matter to you.

Pet wearables enable you to track your pet’s movements when you are not around, monitor their health and keep them fit.

Lastly, the quirky Snapchat Spectacles offer new ways to record memories effortlessly.

Virtual reality

After failing to make its mark over the last two decades, virtual reality made a comeback in 2014 when Facebook bought Oculus, a technology company that specializes in virtual reality, for $2 billion.

That same month Sony announced PlayStation VR, which has been selling like hot cakes since its release in October 2016.

Offering a simulated, immersive experience, VR is not just limited to video games. The technology is being used in pilot and combat training, engineering, retail, medicine, real estate, sports and many other verticals.

In the fall of 2015, a group of doctors were able to perform a critical heart surgery with the help of virtual reality imaging. The event was a medical breakthrough.  

A recent study revealed that VR treadmills may help prevent falls among senior citizens.

Connecting wearables to CRM

Customer relationship management (CRM) plays a pivotal role in enabling enterprises to manage and analyze customer interactions in real-time data. The use of wearables in CRM could increase the number of connected customers and prospects, giving enterprises a new way to study buying behaviour, health and hobbies.

By integrating wearable devices with CRM systems, marketers can send personalized offers straight to a customer’s wearable device. Companies benefit from location-based tracking and can send relevant notifications and quickly take customer feedback when required.

Role of wearables in workplace

Wearable technology can help reduce dependence on computer screens and decrease clutter in the workplace. A device like Samsung Gear can increase productivity at work and can help make you less rude to your colleagues.  

It might be premature to predict all the possibilities that wearables will bring to the table, but the industry is already on its way to improving our daily lives, making it more efficient, healthier and, of course, more measurable.

Feature image via Pixabey