Smart glasses refer to a wearable computer in the form of eyeglasses that display information in a hands-free format. This technology has been developed to provide users with a more immersive experience by overlaying digital content on top of the physical world.
While the target market for smart glasses is still evolving, it is clear that this technology has immense potential across a variety of industries. From Healthcare to Manufacturing to Retail, smart glasses hold the promise of enhancing productivity and efficiency in a number of ways.
In this article, we’ll study the target market for smart glasses and understand the various ways in which they are disrupting key industries.
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Who is the Target Market for Smart Glasses?
As we saw in the introduction, smart glasses are a type of wearable computer that displays information in a hands-free format. Information is superimposed on top of the physical world, providing users with a more immersive experience.
To best understand the target market for smart glasses we need to focus on the reasons why someone may need smart glasses for their work or personal use. We need to understand what is it that they cannot do as well without smart glasses or rather can do better with them.
By focusing on people’s need to have such glasses we can divide the potential target market for smart glasses into segments and study the needs of each segment individually. Such a needs-based segmentation process gives us the following segments of the smart glasses market:
- Smart Glasses in the Healthcare industry
- Smart Glasses in the Manufacturing industry
- Smart Glasses in the Retail Industry
- Smart Glasses in the Building and Construction Industry
- Smart Glasses in the Logistics and Warehousing
- Smart Glasses in the Entertainment Industry
Let’s look closely at each of these segments of the target market for smart glasses:
#1. Smart Glasses in the Healthcare industry
Healthcare is one industry that stands to benefit greatly from smart glasses. Doctors and surgeons can use these glasses to access patient records, X-rays, and other medical images hands-free. This allows them to focus on the task at hand and provide better care for their patients.
Smart Glasses can also be used for training purposes in the Healthcare industry. For example, surgeons can use them to view a live feed of an ongoing operation conducted by another surgeon. This would allow them to learn new techniques and improve their own skills.
Additionally, smart glasses can be used to provide remote assistance to doctors in rural areas. Doctors in remote areas can use them to consult with expert colleagues located in urban areas. This would help improve the quality of care provided to patients in rural areas.
Finally, smart glasses can be used in the Healthcare industry for applications such as patient monitoring and asset tracking. For instance, they can be used to track the location of medical equipment in a hospital. This would help improve the efficiency of hospital operations and reduce the time taken to locate and retrieve equipment.
All these factors make it evident that the Healthcare industry is a major target market for smart glasses.
#2. Smart Glasses in the Manufacturing industry
The manufacturing industry can also make use of smart glasses to provide workers with information about the products they are assembling. This can include assembly instructions, quality control information, and more. By having this information readily available, factories can improve efficiency and reduce errors.
Additionally, smart glasses can be used in the manufacturing industry for applications such as process control, quality assurance, and asset tracking. For instance, they can be used to track the location of tools and parts in a factory. This would help reduce the time taken to locate and retrieve them.
#3. Smart Glasses in the Retail Industry
The retail industry is another area where smart glasses can be used to enhance the customer experience. Retail employees can use smart glasses to access customer information, product information, and inventory levels. This allows them to provide better service to customers and improve sales.
Another use case for smart glasses in the retail industry is loss prevention. Retail employees can use them to track the movements of customers in the store. This would help reduce the incidence of theft and shoplifting.
Finally, smart glasses can also be used in the retail industry for applications such as stock-taking and asset tracking. For instance, they can be used to track the location of products in a store or in inventory. This can reduce turnaround times for stock-taking and improve the accuracy of inventory levels.
All these factors make the retail industry a major target market for smart glasses.
#4. Smart Glasses in the Building and Construction Industry
Visualization plays a very important role in the building and construction industry. Smart glasses can be used by architects and engineers to visualize their designs and plans. This would help them to catch errors and make necessary changes before the construction process begins.
Additionally, smart glasses can be used on building sites to provide workers with information about the construction process. For instance, they can be used to access blueprints and instructions hands-free. This would help improve safety on building sites and reduce the likelihood of accidents.
Investors and end customers (like home buyers) can also use smart glasses to get a virtual tour of a planned building even when it is still in the design phase. For instance, using Building Information Modeling (BIM) data, they can visualize how a building will look once it is completed. This would help them to make better-informed decisions about their investments.
#5. Smart Glasses in the Logistics and Warehousing
The goal of using Smart Glasses in logistics and warehousing is to help workers interact with their environment in a more efficient way. For instance, they can be used to track the location of products and assets in a warehouse. This would help reduce the time taken to locate and retrieve them.
Additionally, smart glasses can be used in logistics and warehousing for applications such as order picking, packing, and shipping. For instance, they can be used to provide workers with information about the products they are picking or packing. This would help improve accuracy and efficiency.
Finally, smart glasses can also be used in logistics and warehousing for safety applications. For instance, they can be used to track the movements of workers in a warehouse. This would help reduce the likelihood of accidents.
#6. Smart Glasses in the Entertainment Industry
The industry where Smart Glasses perhaps have the coolest of uses is the Entertainment Industry. Imagine being able to watch a movie with Augmented Reality (AR) effects or play a video game in which you are the main character. This is already possible with smart glasses and is a big step up from the clunky 3D glasses we wear in movie theaters.
Some of the other potential uses of smart glasses in the entertainment industry include live events, theme parks, and museums. For instance, they can be used to provide viewers with a bird’s eye view of a live event or to offer virtual tours of theme parks and museums.
Additionally, smart glasses can be used in the entertainment industry for applications such as gaming, advertising, and marketing. For instance, they can be used to provide gamers with an enhanced gaming experience or to allow advertisers to target consumers with personalized ads.
All these factors make the entertainment industry a potent segment of the target market for smart glasses.
Conclusion
The target market for smart glasses is still evolving as the underlying technology continues to develop. However, it is clear that this technology has the potential to revolutionize a variety of industries.
In this article, we saw how smart glasses are disrupting key industries like healthcare, manufacturing, retail, building & construction, logistics & warehousing and entertainment. This is but a sample of the potential uses of this technology.
As smart glasses become more and more affordable and their capabilities continue to grow, we can expect to see them gain mainstream adoption across a variety of industries. This would provide a major boost to the smart glasses industry and open up new opportunities for manufacturers, developers, and marketers to build complete ecosystems around smart glasses.
