Nielsen: 50 Percent of Americans Will Buy Wearable Tech

The majority of wearable owners consider themselves “early adopters” of technology, and close to 50 percent of Americans are likely to purchase wearables in the near future, according to Nielsen.

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The Connected Life Report by Nielsen reveals that 48 percent of wearables owners in the U.S. are between the ages of 18 and 34. And three-quarters of wearables owners consider themselves at the early stage of wearable purchase. More than two-thirds of them like fitness bands, followed by smart watches (45 percent) and mobile health (mHealth) devices (17 percent).

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A purchase of a wearable device depends on the benefits that device offers, the report says. For instance, the majority of respondents said that convenience is the top reason why they chose smart watches, compared to 57 percent of fitness band buyers saying that the ability to self-monitor is a major reason to buy.

Meanwhile, wearable tech owners look for special features when they make a purchase. Smart watch users consider functionality (81 percent) and comfort (79 percent) to be the most important attributes. In comparison, fitness band owners rank accuracy (70 percent) and battery life (64 percent) as the first consideration. Durability of wearable devices is critical to both owners of smart watches (82 percent) and fitness bands (73 percent).

Nearly half of Americans surveyed say they are going to purchase wearable tech in the near future. Nielsen predicts that more consumers will do so, if wearables become less expensive and more fashionable.