For the first time, global smartwatch sales have declined, with 7% fewer devices being shipped in 2024, according to market research experts, Counterpoint.
In the past five years, the market has been disrupted by the likes of Whoop and Oura, with many ditching their wrist-screens in favour of sleek rings and screen-free bracelets. This, combined with intense competition from Chinese competitors including Huawei, has seen Apple’s share of the global smartwatch market fall from 25% in 2023 to 22% last year.
Conversely, in 2024, Oura reported that they expected sales of their fitness tracking ring – which prioritises heart rate variability, accurate body temperature checks and eight days of battery life – to jump to $500 million.
That is a 100% increase in sales on the year before. Similarly, Whoop – a wearable which places emphasis on recovery and strain, and is backed by the biggest name is in sports – has soared in value following more than $400m in investment. The main difference between these wearables and their Apple, Google and Samsung competitors is the lack of screen.
Whilst those who run with an Apple Watch may be tempted to constantly look at their pace, heartrate, and distance, challenger brands like Whoop and Oura seek to add an intentional action to the process of opening apps. Likewise, Touch Grass, a screentime management and productivity app launched on 14th March by a 29-year-old London developer, has already seen exponential interest. In an X post announcing the launch, the developer, Rhys Kentish, encourages people to get up and photograph themselves literally touching grass, garnering over 1.2 million views.
These developers hope that, by requiring users to choose to engage rather than passively taking in information, they will help people to break free from patterns of endless scroll. Indeed, a shift towards people spending less time looking at screens, and towards more ‘intentional’ consumption of social media, could have long-term ramifications for media planning and buying – with high-attention channels like AV and Cinema likely to play a prominent role.
Whilst it’s too early to say if recent trends in smartwatch sales are merely a short-term blip or the first signs of a realignment in consumer attitudes towards tech, they demonstrate that the media landscape is ever-evolving – and that the world would look very different if we all went out and touched grass.
