From the discreetly elegant Apple Hermès with a rectangular case to the glittering Michael Kors round dial to the sporty Tag Heuer by tennis star Naomi Osaka, you might think that women have a large selection when it comes to digital watches. But Garmin, the tech giant, saw a loophole.
In January, Garmin introduced Lily, a smart-looking smartwatch. It combines what Garmin is known for – performance monitoring devices – with something the company had never tried before: a traditional, minimalist jewelry watch.
Kirsten Erikson, Product Marketing Manager at Garmin, said on a video call, “We found a niche in the market, especially for women, and realized that some hadn’t been able to choose a smartwatch because they felt it was too big and too sporty felt. ”or too technical looking.” Together with a women’s team, Ms. Erikson orchestrated the production of a “fashionable-looking watch for small wrists” – a new smartwatch “for women by women,” as the company is promoting it.
After the team had put together hundreds of pictures of classic jewelry watches, the team started with a round case with a diameter of 34 millimeters – significantly smaller than current Smart models with dials more than 40 millimeters in diameter. That choice presented challenges: making small-scale tracking capabilities available and fitting into a battery that lasts five days has exceeded technical limits.
In contrast to digital dials, which turn black when not in use, Lily shows a selection of patterns that reflect the monograms of fashion houses and the guilloche dials of analog timepieces.
One touch of the screen activates a pedometer and calorie tracker, as well as tracking applications for exercises such as yoga, pilates and mindful breathing. What makes Lily stand out, however, are unexpected, women-centric features like menstrual cycle monitoring and pregnancy.
Some may raise their eyebrows at a watch that goes against the current trend towards gender neutral design, but the commercial numbers show that Garmin got that niche right. Although the company does not publish sales figures, it said well over 50 percent of Lily customers are new to Garmin. Lily’s marketing strategy to promote Lily has also helped grow the company’s overall female customer base: women buy more than half of the generic wellness watches Garmin sells.
Sarah Willersdorf, Global Head of Luxury at the Boston Consulting Group, is not surprised. In an email, she wrote that she believed the pandemic had put an emphasis on health and wellness. According to the Boston Group, women’s health is a large and growing market that is expected to reach over $ 45 billion worldwide by 2026 – three times the size it is today.
“This growth is being driven by many factors, including a much more open discussion about women’s health – like fertility, menstruation, and menopause – and creativity in this area with a number of companies innovating with everything from tracking apps on dietary supplements and wearables like the Garmin watch, ”wrote Ms. Willersdorf.
Attracting women has recently been the focus of several established analog luxury houses, including Zenith and Breitling. Garmin’s move signals that the booming wearable device market, valued at around $ 73 billion by 2022, may find additional leverage among women.
The $ 199 Lily (Garmins can cost over $ 400) comes with silicone straps in subtle neutral and pastel colors for a sportier look. More traditional leather straps (at no extra charge) are available in gray, black, and white.
On the Garmin Instagram account, a woman with the username @ mum_on_the_run_3 commented: “It’s perfect if you don’t want to give up your tracker but are looking for something more elegant for an evening or a special occasion.”
She might agree with Ms. Erikson’s opinion: “With Lily, we created the watch that women didn’t know they needed.”
source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/female-focused-smartwatches-that-look-smart-too/
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