Smart watches have come a long way from your old Casio calculator watch. And although smart watch maker Pebble raised over $10 million on Kickstarter, are these interactive timepieces something you should invest in?
Here's what marketers need to know...
With their glance-and-go nature, smart watches are great for quick touches with users—from push notifications to alerts that add utility. For instance, The Weather Channel could send a 'grab an umbrella' alert while Starbucks could invite passersby in for Frappuccino happy hour.
In the long term, we see brands taking advantage of smart watches the way Evernote, The New York Times, and Path are developing for Google Glass. Think brief, timely communications that rely heavily on the user's location.
There are really only two players right now—Pebble and MetaWatch. If your company leans more toward Android, Pebble's your best bet for seamless integration. If you've invested a lot in iOS, you'll want to look at MetaWatch instead. Though both work with iPhones, MetaWatch offers greater iOS interaction.
You may want to wait before taking action, though.
Rumors point to Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung as entries into the smart watch game. Months from now, the options—and the possibilities—will be much greater.
