The core word of children's smart watches is "protect" rather than "please"

As the technological era continues to evolve, electronic products have become increasingly popular, and now they have penetrated into younger people. Among them, we must mention the booming children's smart watches, which have almost become a "standard equipment" for every child. But under the prosperous scenery, there are also many doubts that cannot be ignored.

So, what is the current market situation of children's smart watches?

status quo! Children’s smart watches are gaining momentum

It is reported that as of 2020, the cumulative sales of Xiaotiantian phone watches have exceeded 20 million units. Recently, its new z10 watch has been sold out, with sales reaching nearly 2.5 million yuan in just 7 days. The "China Wearable Device Market Quarterly Tracking Report" released by IDC also shows that in the first quarter of 2024, 4.04 million children's smart watches were shipped, a year-on-year increase of 44.4%. It is clear from this that the consumption craze for children’s smart watches is growing day by day.

As we all know, everything exists for a reason, and children’s smartwatches are no exception. As young parents become more and more meticulous in their care for their children, it has extended to all aspects of their children's lives. Against this background, children's smart watches, which can not only better care for and protect children's safety when going out, but also prevent children from being addicted to the Internet and exposed to bad information prematurely, have emerged with the core selling points of instant two-way calling and real-time precise positioning functions. .

In this regard, the Qianzhan Industry Research Institute has predicted in relevant research reports that the market size of children's smart watches will exceed 20 billion yuan in 2023, and will reach 27.6 billion yuan by 2026. The broad market prospects and surging consumer enthusiasm have attracted a large number of players to compete in the children's smart watch segment. Among them, there are technology giants Xiaomi and Huawei; there are also veteran student intelligence brands such as Little Genius, Xiaobawang, and Shulang; as well as cross-border brands Disney, Skyworth, and 360.

In addition, there are many unknown brands that are engaged in a "war of thousands of watches" in the field of children's smart watches. Strategy guru Michael Porter once said: "If a company can provide customers with something unique, then it has operational differentiation that is different from other competitors." Therefore, in order to compete in the Thousand Sail Competition Daozhong was the first to see it, and major brands are crazily "rolling up" children's smart watch configurations.

Specifically:

First, in terms of functionality. In addition to basic voice/video calls, real-time subtitles are also available. In terms of precise positioning, trajectory recording and safety fences have also been added. In addition, there are micro chat, payment, games and music, etc.

Secondly, in terms of configuration. Not only does it have a larger and clearer screen, it also has a super wide angle, anti-shake, dual cameras with higher pixels, as well as a detachable dial and strap, longer battery life, larger storage space, etc.

But the question is, do children’s smart watches really need so many functions?

challenge! Children’s smartwatches are soaring in price, but safety needs to be improved

As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. In the fierce market competition, as major brands continue to pile up materials for children's smart watches, prices have naturally risen. For example: Xiaotiancai has 11 products in total, 5 of which are priced around 1,000 yuan. The highest price is Z10 at 2,299 yuan, and the lowest price is Z6 Pro at 999 yuan.

Huawei has a total of 9 products, with 3 models priced at around 1,000 yuan. The highest one is 5X Pro priced at 1,848 yuan, and the lowest is 5 Pro priced at 1,148 yuan. MiTu has a total of 11 products, with models priced at around 1,000 yuan. 3 models, the highest one is S1 priced at 1,299 yuan, and the lowest ones are 5 Pro and U1 Pro priced at 999 yuan.

But this not only quietly sows the seeds of comparison in children's hearts, but also disrupts their normal social interactions and poses potential risks to their healthy growth, such as reduced concentration and vision loss. At the same time, it increases the childcare burden on parents. Therefore, complaints about multifunctional and high-priced children’s smartphones are gradually increasing.

Parents said: "The latest Xiaotianz10 is 2,200 yuan more expensive than Redmi after a discount. It looks like a small phone in terms of functions, but its configuration is very average." "The social functions of each generation of Xiaotian are different. , For example, the basic model cannot join the group, and the Q2A does not have a friend circle function. "Now it is so fancy that it is almost as functional as a mobile phone. What is the difference between this and playing directly on a mobile phone."

It should be noted that although the prices of children's smart watches are rising, their safety still needs to be further improved. Children's smart watches have been frequently exposed for quality problems, induced consumption, and information security (the presence of bloody violence, content inappropriate for children, and privacy leaks).

In addition, children’s smart watches may induce consumption. As can be seen on the Black Cat Complaint Platform, several parents complained that software such as Dream Manor, Wukong Academy, and Fun Farm in children’s watches induce consumption, and pointed out that they are actually games under the guise of mathematics and Chinese courses, involving Mi Rabbit, 360, Xiaomi Brands such as Genius and Xiaoxun.

The 2022 CCTV "March 15" party also exposed that children's watches have many information security vulnerabilities. Once invaded by malware, they become "walking peepers." Implanting malicious programs in children's smart watches can easily and continuously obtain the child's location, face images, recordings and other personal privacy information.

Obviously, the "low quality" of children's smart watches is difficult to match its high price, which is why the market is "hissing".

future! The evolutionary direction of children’s smart watches returns to “protecting children’s healthy growth”

It should be pointed out that the rise of children's smart watches is already a general trend. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, the current parenting environment has changed. The development of science and technology promotes intelligent applications. From smartphones to smart homes to smart driving, children's smart watches are just a small branch of this, allowing parents to better monitor their children's growth.

At the same time, national statistics show that at the end of 2023, the population aged 0-15 (including those under 16 years old) was 247.89 million, accounting for 17.6% of the total population. The huge number of people also indicates that children’s smart watches have huge room for development. But in this world, if a product wants to be truly successful, it is not enough to just focus on competitors and do "what others have and what we have". Accurate insight into and meeting consumer needs is the core element.

Since it is a children's smart watch, the purchase decision involves two groups: parents and children. However, the two have conflicting expectations for this type of product. Children are more inclined to pursue products that are smart and interesting, and hope that watches have rich functions and an experience close to that of smartphones; while parents are more concerned about the most basic functions such as calls and positioning, as well as battery life and product stability. sex, and emphasize features that don’t need to be redundant.

Because of this, the design of children's smart watches needs to follow the core of "protecting children's healthy growth" and find the best balance between the needs of parents and children. But from the current point of view, children's smart watches on the market are more inclined to please children. How to bring them to a reasonable range is worthy of consideration by each brand.

To sum up, children’s smart watches have become the bridgehead for hundreds of companies to compete, but product innovation is not easy for all brands, because the purpose of “promoting new products” is not the product of commercial competition, but to better protect the healthy growth of children. assistant. It’s time to cross thousands of miles from the beginning and ride the wind and waves. We look forward to the development of children’s smart watches getting better and better.