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Citrix?s GoToMeeting watch app will spur wearables? adoption in enterprises

Citrix?s move to make the GoToMeeting mobile application available on a new line of Android Wear smartwatches will boost wearables? profile in the mobile-enterprise space.

Putting the GoToMeeting app on Android Wear watches including the Samsung Gear Live, Moto 360, and LG G Watch will allow consumers to join a meeting with one touch of the smartwatch, mute or un-mute the call, and leave a meeting quickly and easily. The move is seen as incentivizing enterprises to adopt wearables, which until now have mostly made an impact in the recreational space.

?Empowering mobile workers to work better and live better is at the core of Citrix,? said Chris Malin, director of mobile marketing for Citrix, based in Fort Lauderdale, FL. ?There is so much energy and excitement in the wearables space that we had to be there. 

?We want to empower our users to live and work differently as they adopt new technologies, and these smart watches give us a great opportunity to do so,? he said.
 
Offering convenience
Wearables are stimulating a wide range of marketers to brainstorm on how to have a customer and data-driven design that engages and responds to the personalized context and expectations of consumers. Retailers, fashion designers and payment platforms are among the groups so far that have been enticed by the convenience that wearables offer.

?We have been thinking about this space for a while,? Mr. Malin said. ?We see that wearable technology is going mainstream and the uses are moving beyond fitness and sport training applications. 

?According to the 2014 Citrix Wearables Survey Forecast by Wakefield Research, 91 percent of Americans are excited about wearable tech, and 60 percent think it will be as common as smartphones within the next six years,? he said.

Citrix smartwatch.

Apple?s unveiling of its much-anticipated smartwatch last month is expected to accelerate marketers? drive into smartwatches.

?The Apple Watch announcement certainly focused consumer attention on the category,? Mr. Malin said. ?Developer attention on both Android and iOS will help define how meaningful these new platforms become for users.?

Citrix?s GoToMeeting online meeting tool, customized for mobile and wearable experiences, is available on Google Play.

?Wearables aren?t coming, they?re here,? Mr. Malin said. ?While they largely began as sensor platforms, the inclusion of increased computing power, displays, and new interactivity models is opening the door for a lot of experimentation.
 
?In this mobile era, user behavior is evolving rapidly,? he said. ?The proliferation of wearable hardware and platforms will continue that trend.?
 
Approximately one in three Americans plan to purchase wearable tech, on average, according to the Citrix survey.

However, 70 percent of Americans have concerns about wearable tech ? including security (42 percent), user data privacy (38 percent), automatic data collection (27 percent), regulation of data collected (27 percent) and health; for example, interaction with pacemakers or radiation (26 percent).

Getting work done
Mobile devices already keep Americans connected to their jobs 24/7 ? but many look to wearable tech for more than just a way to get work done. 

GoToMeeting home page.

Six out of 10 Americans believe wearable tech will primarily be used for fun ? not productivity, according to the survey.

?The key element of this announcement is that GoToMeeting is logical to have on Citrix? software in a wearable form factor,? said Ryan Martin, Internet of Things and wearable technologies analyst for Boston-based Yankee Group. 

?And to have that kind of value and utility provided to enterprises early on is going to incentivize enterprises to adopt wearables, other than the other way around.?

Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York.