Apple tops smartwatch segment, Samsung ahead in fitness bands

Fitness bands and smartwatches are slowly becoming must-have devices across the world. But is every device offering the kind of satisfaction consumers are expecting?
As per the J.D. Power 2016 Fitness Band Device Satisfaction and J.D. Power 2016 Smartwatch Device Satisfaction reports, Apple tops smartwatches while Samsung ranks highest in fitness band devices when it comes to overall satisfaction.
The reports looks at overall satisfaction among customers who purchased a smartwatch or fitness band in the past 12 months. Elevent factors are taken into consideration for the both segments.

In smartwatches, ease of use; comfort; battery life; phone features; price; strength/durability; display size; styling/appearance; reliability; apps available and customer service are listed in this order of importance.
For fitness bands, it is reliability; strength/durability; ease of use; battery life; price; variety of features; comfort; styling and appearance; display size; apps available; and customer service. Overall satisfaction is calculated on a 1,000-point scale.
Kirk Parsons, senior director and telecom, media & technology practice leader at J.D. Power, explained that both segments were evolving as more and more brands have started offering updated devices with new features and services. “However, it is important that device manufacturers focus on offering a product that is reliable at a price that is perceived as good value based on its features. Those that do so early in the game may improve their opportunity to increase satisfaction, customer loyalty and repurchase intention.”
Apple scored 852/1000 with its smartwatches performing well in comfort, styling/appearance and ease of use. Samsung scored 842 with good performanc ein customer service, display size and phone features.
Overall, 19 percent of of smartwatch users experienced one or more problems, with battery being the biggest pain point with 29 per cent reporting some issue. Other issues werre with difficulties customising (23%) and broken charger (22%).
While a high 43 per cent of the customers were swayed by online shopping websites, friends/family recommendations came close at 41 per cent when it came to information on selecting a fitness band. Most customers were selecting bands based on ease of use (48%), price (40%), brand reputation (38%) and positive reviews (36%). Read more