CES Observation: Female users become the new favorite of smart hardware industry

Recently, CES 2016 closed successfully under the attention of the whole world. From the intensive reports from the front, it is not difficult to find that VR has undoubtedly become the most eye-catching protagonist of this exhibition. In comparison, the smart hardware that was popular in the past two years has become much bleaker. Despite this, the concentrated appearance of manufacturers and products still reveals some overall trends in the smart hardware industry.

Fashion will become a major driving force for wearable devices

The demand for products is a common problem for many wearable devices, and it is also one of the common problems that restrict the development of the wearable market. In fact, this is related to the attributes of the wearable products themselves. After satisfying the most basic privacy and warmth needs, the biggest role of wearables is decoration and symbolism. Whether it is smart or not is difficult to change the starting point of the product's essence.

At this year's CES, from the repeated appearance of the fashion and luxury route, we can see that high-tech manufacturers have a new understanding of wearable products.

Collaboration with luxury goods companies or top designers is the most common way for wearable products to enter the fashion field. Huawei has collaborated with Swarovski to launch the crystal version of HUAWEI WATCH Jewel, which is priced at $599. Fitbit also exhibited products designed by the famous designer Tory Burch.

Nowadays, luxury wearables have become a niche market. WiseWear is a wearable company that focuses on this. Its CEO Gerald Wilmink said that while ensuring basic functions, wearable products must also have a unique style. The Socialite series copper bracelets exhibited by WiseWear not only have security functions, but also have a layer of 18K gold plated on the surface, which is extremely luxurious.

The subdivisions are becoming clearer and the female market cannot be ignored

After the concept of smart hardware emerged, various products emerged in an endless stream for a period of time. Regardless of whether there is an actual need for them, almost all traditional products can be found in smart versions on the market. This situation has also caused some confusion in the classification of smart hardware products.

At this year's CES, we can see that there are fewer inexplicable designs, and products are beginning to return to the functional level. As a result, the market segments are gradually becoming clearer.

In terms of the use scenarios of 2C products, in addition to the wearable field mentioned above, home and travel are the two major categories where products are most concentrated. Smart travel on the ground basically stays on the concepts of vehicle networking and unmanned driving, while the emergence of Ehang 184 has successfully brought drones into the ranks of air travel.

In the home furnishing sector, manufacturers cater to female consumers just as much as in the wearable market. The pink color has spread from the rose gold of the iPhone 6S to various home appliances such as sleep-aid lamps and smart mattresses, which is a good example. In addition, after the transformation of common large appliances such as TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines, the functions of smart homes have become more and more subdivided. Grill Bot is a robot that can clean the grill by itself, which was exhibited at CES.

It is reported that women have more than 90% decision-making power in purchasing household products. It seems that the strategies of manufacturers are not lacking in theoretical basis. In addition, some traditional women's brands have also begun some intelligent expansion. L'Oreal launched a smart skin patch My UV Patch that can monitor the skin's exposure to ultraviolet rays; cosmetic equipment company Foreo brought a smart makeup artifact MODA.

From the performance of CES, we can see that after a period of high-density explosion of smart hardware products, it has become difficult to innovate simply in terms of categories. The market has gradually returned to rationality, and large manufacturers have begun to focus on the layout of underlying technologies, while other companies are more focused on vertical fields. The next opportunity may be in the segmented market.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.