The India market for wearable devices grew 30.9% sequentially in the second quarter of 2019 and 123.6% annually reaching an all-time high of 3 million shipments in a single quarter, according to the International Data Corporation's (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker. This makes India the third-largest wearables market in the world after China and US.
This growth can be attributed to the rising popularity of the ear-worn wearables which grew 122.7% on quarter and 374.9% annually in 2Q19 overtaking the wrist band shipments for the first time in the country. Wrist bands witnessed a 24% QoQ decline in 2Q19 as the top brands corrected their inventory after heavy shipments in the last quarter.
The earwear category includes wireless earphones that track health and fitness or enable smart assistants at the touch of a button. This category accounted for most of the market shipments with 55.9% share, followed by wrist bands at 35.2% and watches at 6.9%.
"The market for ear-worn devices has seen exponential growth in the last few quarters and this will continue in the coming quarters as well, primarily because traditional audio vendors are moving towards the wireless devices as it provides the ease of operation and comfort of carrying a device, while participating in a fitness activity or taking a call on the go," said Anisha Dumbre, Market Analyst, IDC India.
