STORES 2017 BIG Show Daily - January 16, 2017 - 14

2017 MONDAY

14

Wearables

Future of wearable tech

Continued from page 13

But who owns the data may be another
bridge to cross. "Ideally, there would be a
veil of privacy and security between the
brand and an individual," Martin says.
"Brands can get around this by collecting
user-generated data in aggregate. For individuals, granting access to personal data
provides greater visibility into the lives
they're living but with greater granularity."
For the consumer, "Data is king,"
Weinswig says, "but turning it into relevant, usable insights is still a challenge.
No one cares about 'step counting' in a
vacuum, so there must be a deeper reason
for consumers to buy wearable tech, and
companies should recognize and take advantage of that information."
Data may yield its own incentives, especially if consumers are willing to share the
information with their insurers. "If you can
get better coverage or more favorable rates
by sharing that data, it creates the structure
to drive adoption," Martin says. "This has
already started to take shape with usagebased insurance" in the automotive industry.

Challenges ahead

One challenge - and the reason
Martin believes this segment is somewhat
volatile - is the resilience of smart fabric

The Ralph Lauren PoloTech shirt puts workout data in the palm of the user's hand.

and textile manufacturing. "At minimum,
this includes an ability to wash garments
with sensors in them on a recurring basis."
The final hurdle smart cloth manufacturers must clear is decidedly low-tech,
Martin says. "To some extent, if it is worn,
it is going to be a fashion statement."
Weinswig agrees. "Makers of wearables must design products that people
actually want to buy. The devices need
to provide valuable data, but not feel like

technology - because no one wants to
look like an android."
Athos, Jayalath says, is "exceptionally focused on comfort and style. If our
clothing is not comfortable to wear, the
benefits wouldn't matter because people
won't wear it. I'm really happy that we are
consistently getting the feedback from our
athletes that our gear is just as comfortable
as what they used to wear from traditional
manufacturers."

Jayalath predicts that clothing "will
evolve to be something that has more
value than just covering your body. This
is because apparel is a seamless way to
integrate technology into people's lives
without having to make them develop
a new habit. People have apparel that
serves different purposes, and use technology that's needed in different settings.
For example, we change into workout
clothing, which is why it's ideal to have
workout technology integrated, so it can
be adopted seamlessly and add a host of
value."
Martin anticipates a day when our
shirts and socks connect in a way that
goes well beyond matching. "Clothing as
a channel or a vehicle for driving a connected lifestyle is attractive, but the reality
is that people generally wear one shirt at
a time, and that shirt, if connected, needs
to be able to communicate with socks,
shoes and everything else that completes
an outfit."
Unlike a watch - of which the average person may have one or two - "with
connected garments, you would have
many, likely from different brands," he
says. "The challenge is that consumers
need a friction-free way to access their
information through a common platform,
and the brands will need to work together
to make this happen to win mind share."

Cameras &
Motion Detectors

Communications
Devices

Call Buttons

Customer
Smartphones

Online
Orders

Bluetooth
Beacons

Digital
Signage

FlorLink
SmartHub

Printers

POS
System

Staff Tablets
& Smartphones
STORES 2017 BIG Show Daily - January 16, 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of STORES 2017 BIG Show Daily - January 16, 2017
