We’ve already talked about prospects of the smart accessory market. This time Juniper is focused on healthcare and fitness accessories, saying that these two sectors will account for half of all the smart accessory sales, which are set to reach 110 million units in 2017, up from 10 million this year.
The report noted that companies such as Nike, Jawbone and others are familiarizing the market with how such “smart hardware” can use the processing power of the smartphone to analyze and relay information. In the healthcare sector this can be used for managing chronic disease such as diabetes or COPD.
The new market will obviously lead to development of accompanying “freemium” and SaaS (software as a service) businesses. Moreover, major retailers also think there’s money to be made here, hence they’ve been allocating shelf-space for these products, particularly in the US.
Finally, it’s worth adding that in addition to smart healthcare & fitness accessories, other electronics like video eyewear and payment processing will also be popular among consumers and businesses.