Fifty-eight percent of US households have a smartwatch or fitness tracker, and 39 per cent of consumers own one personally.
The figure comes from the Connectivity & Mobile Trends 2021 Survey by Deloitte, which shows how the pandemic has had a clear effect on people's physical activity habits. Among device owners, 14 per cent bought their smartwatch or fitness tracker since the start of the pandemic.
The largest use among the devices reported is for health and fitness (55 per cent), primarily to measure walking steps and athletic performance, track heart health, and monitor sleep and calories.
Among those interested in wearables, 39 per cent listed cost as the primary reason they haven't bought one – considerably larger than other factors.
Yet, more seem to see the value of wearables, especially for health and fitness – 27 per cent of those who don't have a smartwatch or fitness tracker in their household are interested in buying one, up from 24 per cent before COVID-19.
Sixty percent of users claim to not be particularly concerned about the privacy of their wearable-generated data.
The increased popularity of digital fitness – and increased use of wearables – is also having an effect on the way healthcare is delivered.
Jana Arbanas, vice chair, and leader of Deloitte's US telecom, media and entertainment sectors, said: "As wearables advance to record more discrete health, fitness and wellness data, their ability to support health care providers will likely grow, along with many users' desire to share more of this data with their providers.
"The pandemic was a giant beta test of behaviors that broke down barriers, removed distance and prioritized health and wellness.
"Our survey revealed that people are willing to adopt new products and services even while adjusting to challenging circumstances in trying times.
"This adaption and need for inventive technology are placing more pressure on companies to innovate even faster.
"As we've seen throughout the pandemic, this innovation should focus around the essential elements of daily life to help people thrive in their crowded homes — underscoring the simple fact that technology and invention, ideally, is about supporting human needs."
To read the full report, click here.
