VietNamNet Bridge - Smartwatch have unexpectedly faced consumer indifference in Vietnam. Mobile device shops launched sale promotion campaigns in 2014, advertising that smartwatches would replace smartphones.

 

However, contrary to predictions, the products have not been welcomed in Vietnam, and sales are on the decrease.

Trung Tri, head of the marketing division of a mobile phone distribution chain, noted that high prices, weak batteries and lack of special features were the deadly weak points of smartwatches.

“Smartwatches could only attract people’s attention in 2014-2015,” he said. “People were curious about the ‘hi-tech product of modern times’. However, they have nearly forgotten about it.”

“While people now don’t feel curious about the product, they have realized that there are many weak points about the product,” he added.

The most popular models available on the shelves, including Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Gear S2 and Moto 360, all have selling prices of VND7-8 million, equal to mid-tier smartphones.

When wearing the smartwatches, they caused inconveniences rather than benefits.

The biggest disappointment was the weak battery capacity, which does not allow use for 3-4 days without having to charge a battery. 

In mid-2015, Chinese smartwatch products sold at surprisingly low prices, VND800,000-VND2.5 million.

The cheap products helped distributors make fat profits with hundreds of products sold every week. 

However, the ‘low-cost smartwatch movement’ finished quickly as users realized that the products had bad hardware, a weak battery and bad design. 

When wearing the smartwatches, they caused inconveniences rather than benefits.

The owner of a private shop in Hanoi noted that the currently available smartwatch models are expensive compared with the unattractive appearance design and low battery capacity. Therefore, he only sells products by orders.

An analyst said that smartwatches need a breakthrough, like iPhone did in the past, to become more popular.

He believes that 2016 ‘will not be the year of smartwatch’. 

At CES, an international exhibition, only several smartwatch devices were on display, which could not draw the attention from public like the explosion of IoT devices (Internet of Things).

He also noted that Vietnam was not the market that manufacturers had prioritized to develop. 

Sony, after launching two generations of smartwatches and gaining modest success, has decided to ignore the Vietnamese market. 

Apple Watch hit the shelves in January, nearly a year after it was launched in many other countries.

Meanwhile, LG, Huawei, Motorola and Asus are not selling smartwatches in Vietnam. 

Samsung is the only big player which has introduced all of its smartwatch products in Vietnam.


NLD