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One in 10 consumers (10%) is considering buying a smartwatch in 2015, according to the Barclaycard Consumer Spending Report for Q1 of this year.
The figures suggest several million smartwatch sales could take place throughout the UK this year, yet demand could outstrip supply as only 28 million are expected to ship globally.
One third (33%) of consumers who expect to buy a smartwatch say it is because they are looking for greater convenience than a smartphone, while more than a quarter (26%) want to be the first among their family and friends to own one.
Ben Wood from analysis firm CCS Insight, said: “There’s a huge ‘I want one’ factor for smartwatches. That’s why we believe the Apple Watch will become the bestselling smartwatch in history on its first weekend of sales. Even if the Apple Watch only told the time, they’d still sell a few million of them.”
The report also found some regional differences in demand with 30% of prospective smartwatch buyers based in London. Meanwhile, consumers in the North West comprise 13% of prospective buyers and Northern Ireland at just 1%.
The report found that many consumers who do not expect to buy a smartwatch “can’t see the appeal”, with almost half (45%) saying “it’s just not for me.”
Overall, consumer appetite for smartwatches remains lower than that for other mobile devices. According to the survey 18% of consumers expect to buy a new phone in the next three months alone, and 11% will buy a tablet during this timeframe.
