Executive summary
As technology evolves, people can become dependent on it and turn into
slaves rather than masters. Being hooked on technology is blamed for a range of
illnesses both mentally and physically. However, a breed of products born to
motivate people to stay fit has been trying to reverse that negative notion.
Activity trackers are there to encourage and complement a healthier lifestyle.
As with any product, there are different needs and requirements. The
majority of existing activity trackers available on the market appeal to dedicated
sports or technology fans with an emphasis on functionality and data.
Nonetheless, they are not as wearable as they should be.
Seeking to fill this gap, Misfit Wearables, a start-up company based in
the US, recently introduced what is deemed the next generation of fitness
tracker. “It breaks away the complexity of a highly engineered wearable sensors
and presents information to the user in a simple and intuitive way”.
Moving away from a rather established competitive landscape, Misfit
Wearables can pursue a market development strategy in Australia. Given a
relatively stable economic environment, the Australian market is fit for
business growth as consumers continue to value their health and
well-being.
An increase in individual and informal exercising, as well as a trend in
monitoring personal health mean there are plenty of opportunities in the Down
Under. Moreover, Shine is aimed at different market segments from existing
competitors, which increases the chance of making profits.
Introduction
For
those who value appearance, wanting to lead a healthy life style or have a
fondness for experiencing new technology, Shine would be a proper and suitable
product. These consumers are different from hard core sports and technology
fans, who require more rigid health metrics. Therefore, the durable, all-metal,
coin sized Shine brings the “wearable” back to the wireless wearable technology
market.
Product
concept
Shine is a
physical activity tracker that can be worn anywhere anytime. It is designed to
be wearable and helpful in terms of motivating people to become active. In
other words, Shine would appeal to those who are not currently suffering from
health problems and would like to take preventive measures by staying active.
In terms of
design and material, Shine is the world’s first all-metal wireless fitness
device crafted from aircraft-grade aluminium. The overall design is simple,
elegant yet appealing, which earns it a Reddot Design Award in 2013. Therefore,
Shine provides a nice mix of quality and appearance, a factor that many
consumers highly regard.
Since Shine is
aimed to be a wearable product, with its relatively small size compared to
other activity trackers, it also carries a great amount of technology inside to
permit functionality. Specifically, Shine uses a high precision 3-axis
accelerometer (type of sensor) to track activities accurately.
It also uses
wireless data synchronisation technology between the device and smart phones
which ensures an easy and fast syncing process without Internet connection or
cable. The syncing process, in which users place their Shine on their
smartphone screen, can be considered a novel and bonding behaviour that has
potential to increase consumer usage.
In terms of
functionality, like other activity tracking devices, Shine tracks bipedal
motion: walking, jogging, and running to help users reach their specified
goals. It also calculates cycling, swimming, soccer etc. but adds a more
weighted value to these activities.
Adding to
Shine’s credibility for accurate tracking, when comparing the level of activity
tracked by Shine and Nike+ Fuelband after 8 hours of working at a desk, that of
the latter was higher (Jung, 2013). That means users really are working towards
a goal to achieve real results.
As there is no
display screen on Shine, the only way to know one’s progress without syncing is
by tapping on it. A full circle of dots around the surface means that one has
completed their daily goal. Tapping once is to know the progress (for walking
and running), twice to know the time, and three times to activate the tracking
of special activities (e.g. cycling, swimming, sleeping).
The Shine app
(available on iOS) offers an acceptable level of data required by casual
exercisers, such as distance, calorie count, steps taken. Moreover, it also
gives users an intensity graph to illustrate the activity level over time, and
highlights including activities, milestones, sleep. Other tools to motivate personal
achievement are award badges, streaks and personal bests.
Shine can be worn
as a necklace, wristband, watch or a clip-on “button” anywhere - hip, wrist,
neck, chest, waist, shoe, bra, etc. Other products may offer similar wearing
options but they are not as lightweight and comfortable to be worn on every
occasion.
Other
outstanding features of Shine are its waterproof nature (up to 5 atm) and long
battery life (up to 4 months).
Unique selling point:
wearable
Points of parity:
·
Category
points of parity: tracking a wide range
of activities, comes with different wearing options, has an app to display
data, fairly priced
·
Competitive
points of parity: waterproof, long life
battery, wireless sync technology
Points of difference:
- Durable, made of aircraft-grade aluminium
- Light weight, slim, small as a coin
- Minimal user interface with simple data display
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