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Apple Watch's holiday sales spike opens door wider for developers


Apple Watch product sales are likely to reach 6 million this December according to analyst Daniel Ives of FBR & Co, based on checks with Apple, which means the product is likely to become a more important aspect of consumer behavior in the near future. A wider base of marketers will need to look at the device as a means of communication with consumers, but also can tap into its data for more insight. 

?The Apple Watch has been predicted to double its sales this holiday season alone, reaching nearly 12 million before the end of 2015,? said Mark Ghermezian, CEO and CoFounder of Appboy. ?I am sure the lower price will only help boost those sales during the holiday season, and contribute to driving adoption of the watch overall amongst a more critical mass. 

?With more people using the Apple Watch, there is bound to be additional data and information flowing to brands about their users that they can utilize to improve upon their CX to build better long-term relationships with them wherever they happen to be,? he said. 

Apple Watch sales
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, consumers at various retailers such was Walmart and Target drove sales of the Apple Watch, which has been slow to take off since its launch. While many marketers took to the device at the start, banking on a big opening, many also stayed back a bit to see how it would play out. 


Consumers have still shown a greater excitement for the traditional iPhone than the widely discussed Apple Watch, but this passed weekend showed it might have been a high price tag that was holding it back. Now that the holiday season is arriving, the device could become more popular and less exclusive. 

Once the device is more widespread, it will be almost imperative for marketers to get on board to better connect with consumers and provide them with useful tools. 

Apple Watch history
With iPhone sales showing renewed strength, it is the eight-year-old device, and not the newer Apple Watch, that originally drove excitement for the brand, positioning it to create a virtuous circle of mobile experiences across content, utility and commerce (see more). 

Marketers also took a slower approach to developing Apple Watch applications as the benefits of doing so are not apparent yet, and those that do foray into the technology must set clear goals before jumping into production, according to new research from Strategy Analytics (see more). 

?The Apple Watch has been one of Apple's biggest innovations in the past few years,? Mr. Ghermezian said. ?It is a concept that is also still relatively new to consumers. 

?As new emerging technology becomes more mainstream, I can imagine it will only continue to grow, especially as it is refined to be more relevant and utility-based in everyday life,? he said. 

Final take 
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer